Star Wars: Tem Marr Series Part Five
by Trauwyn Marr
Summary: Joining the mysterious Taru Tyenn in his battle against the Valcuns, Tem Marr is a mindless slave to his masters power. Meanwhile, our group of heroes meet up once more, drawn by fate, as Taru's droid armies destroy the Anteid Facility, sending Auwna and


Anteid never looked so disgusting to Tem Marr, a planet he had not seen for more than a year now, as he gazed down on its surface from the viewport of the Republic Cruiser he had attained on Manaan, _Reason For Doubt_. "Have I told you how much I despise this idea?" Tem growled, as if at his reflection in the transparisteel. "You and your morals, Marr, I swear. They are more bothersome than your presence at times." Taru Tyenn said blandly from the piloting pod that Tem had designed. As a Force-User pilot, he created a human-sized piloting-pod that the pilot would strap into. Through this pod, the Force-User could sense all the systems inside the ship, and, in Taru's sense, the control of all his new droid toys that Tem was incharge of maintaining. "Tell me again, why must we do this?" Tem asked, not taking his gaze away from Anteid. "There is unsettled business that we must attend to on Anteid. Once that business is… resolved… it will be one less burden in our path." Taru purred. Tem didn't respond, and just continued looking down at the planet.

Cheers echoed down the corridors from the arena. Auwna Wenz's heart raced, even though she had participated in the Tournament the previous year. She and Tem would train for the day they would be honored to be in the Tournament. Tem had the opportunity to fight, but had gone to train as a Jedi. Auwna had fought in that years Tournament, a place she had earned, coming in second to Tem. She often felt like she was replacing him. She wanted to back out of the Tournament, but Ruwn Kuad had talked her into going through with it. Tem had surprised her that year, leaving a message at her room. He had arranged a special feed to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to see the Tournament. She wrung her hands slightly, then shakily brushed her hair back. He was gone now, presumed dead. Auwna didn't want to believe it, but any effort made to try and find him was in vain. Vion Cellev strode by her, wearing large gauntlets, standing tall and full of pride, finally making it into the Tournament after seven years of trying to be nominated. He had become skilled in melee combat, and wielding the massive gauntlets that Tem had designed. With the press of a button, they would slide up into dangerous, pointed blades, which could reflect blaster bolts. Prototype weapons Tem would design in his spare time. Few interested him enough to actually use them, though. The gauntlets weren't even complete when Vion 'borrowed' the plans for building them. There were three combatants for the Tournament. They would race through the ruins, destroying targets, and getting to the finish point before the others. The faster the time, and the more targets hit, would determine the winner. Checking the charges on her blasters, Auwna rose to her feet, trying to rid herself of all the worry, sadness, and that hollow feeling in her heart. Now was time to face the challenges of the Tournament.

High Commander Gaul sat behind his desk, reviewing files that were updating him on his work. The only High Commander left after the Cardan war; he was being put incharge of the remaining Facilities in the galaxy. Anteid, Bonthuwai, which was a great annoyance to the Bothans, Duro, which was becoming more and more toxic as the days passed, and the Grand Committee on Coruscant. Coruscant did not truly count as being a Facility, but their presence there had to be monitored by a High Commander. The Grand Committee had more important things to attend to then simple Valcun problems. It was obvious there were hidden agendas in play with the Republic and the Valcuns, if they were allowed to situate themselves at the galaxy's capital. Since neither side was about to do any harm to the other at the moment, it didn't hurt to have a strong defense that the capital planet provided. Gaul's office door hissed open and he looked up. Standing in the doorway was two Heavy War Sentry Droids and a figure clad in dark robes. "Who are you? What is the meaning of this?" Gaul commanded, standing to his full height, which towered both the droids and the figure. "Now, now, High Commander, please, remain seated. The voice sounded familiar to him, but he had never heard anyone speak so coldly and bitterly, while being mocking. Gaul fell into his chair and found himself restrained by an unseen power. Realization dawned, and he gaped slightly at the figure. "It's you." Gaul accused, panic entering his voice. A smirk formed on the figure's face. "How kind of you to remember me, High Commander." His robes began to flow, as if shadows clung to his body desperately. "It is a pity, really," he said, lowering his hood to reveal his face, causing Gaul to make a sound of fear. "That this secret of yours has gone on for so long." His eyes widened, and blood red washed over everything in the room. "No! T-" But he didn't have the chance to finish. Taru had already killed him.

Ruwn peered down at the tunnel that the combatants would come from, not joining in the applause until Auwna made her way into the arena. He got to his feet and cheered, and clapped, and whistled as loud as he could. "Go Auwna! Blow the competition away, sweetheart!" Ruwn called out, though he knew she wouldn't hear him over the thunderous applause. Smiling broadly, he waved his arms in the air to catch her attention. He saw her eyes fall on him and he waved more furiously. She waved and saluted, then waved to the rest of the crowd. Ruwn kept a smile on his face, and sat back down. Auwna was well trained for this. Tem had made sure of it.

Auwna looked around at the screaming crowds. A smile crept across her face, and her heart pounded with a new rush. They were cheering for her, and it no longer felt like she was there to hold up the hopes that someone as good as Tem was performing, she had earned this from last years Tournament. She was out of Tem's shadow. A buzzer sounded loudly, and each three combatants fell into battle stances. Auwna had her dual blaster pistols, Vion armed with a simple staff and the mighty gauntlets, and a larger being that Auwna didn't recognize, armed with massive blaster cannons. Auwna squeezed her blasters tightly and looked around nervously. They would be met by one wave of targets, then they would dash off into the ruins. They stood there, the roaring crowd drowning out any other noise. No targets came for several minutes, but smoke billowed from one tunnel way. Auwna and Vion spun around quickly and were knelt close to the ground, while the larger combatant roared and bound towards the tunnel, as if to claim all the targets for himself… or herself. There was something odd about it though. Vion looked at her, looking for guidance, but Auwna only shrugged. She had no idea what was going on. Something wasn't right about this, and she didn't like the thought of that. Blaster fire poured from the mouth of the tunnel, as hundreds upon hundreds of Cardan droids marched straight into the arena. The cheering had turned to screaming as people ran for cover, away from the blaster bolts directed at them. Auwna fired blindly into the marching droids, trying to find cover. She spotted Vion walking backwards, hiding behind the gauntlets, which expanded and were deflecting blaster bolts. The larger competitor was not as clued into the situation as Auwna and Vion. It stood directly in the path of every droid and fought each as if it were part of the Tournament. Zentrs galloped into the arena, and were slaughtered as they leaped into action. Many of their ranks quickly vanished, and droids began to meet stronger resistance, but it was all in vein. The relentless droids were still pouring from the tunnel, and missile-bearers lumbered awkwardly into view. Resembling the Heavy War Sentry Droids that had hunted Tem, they differed by having two large boxes on each side of their body, loaded with small, propelled missiles. They took aim on the stands, ignoring all else in the battlefield but their main objective. Destroy the unarmed. "No!" Auwna shouted and ran out into the field, dust flying from stray blaster bolts. "Wait!" Vion called after her and chased after her. "Don't do it! It's suicide!" Auwna ignored the Falleen and continued towards the droids. She couldn't lose both Tem and Ruwn to these killers. Some thing flew by her and pierced through the missile-bearers casing, damaging one of the missiles and causing it to detonate, while still connected to the droid. Auwna slowed, and was tackled by Vion. "We have to get out of here!" He shouted over the blaster fire. "No! We fight!" Auwna shouted back, taking a stricter tone than she intended. "Admiral, we have to pull back! We have to regro-…" The sound of firing missiles drowned the rest of his words, and Auwna's eyes widen as each explosion blossomed, leaving charred remains in its wake.

Ruwn ducked and ran up the arena steps. There were defense turrets, meant to stop predator attacks on the _outside_ of the arena, they would do just as well pointed inside the arena to blast droids. Bodies, rocks and debris flew around him, causing him to duck again. "Huttslime!" He cursed and half crawled, half clawed his way up the rest of the steps. Slamming hard into the command seat, he powered up the turret and slammed the control stick hard to the side, causing it to whine in protest at the sudden movement. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." Ruwn urged the machine. Busying himself with powering up the turret, he cast several glances into the arena, seeing Auwna and that Falleen fellow trying to defend themselves, while trying to escape at the same time. "Hold on, babe." Ruwn muttered and fired down at the droids. Now it was a fight for survival.

Anteid had been caught completely off-guard. Their fleets had been decimated in a matter of minutes. On the ground, the Facility was in pure chaos, as people ran for cover, weapons, ships, or even the few Zentrs that had been left there in Tem's honor. Many tried to escape, being mostly trainees who had never seen real combat. The more experienced fighters were amongst the first dead, being sprung into action at the immediate threat. Reinforcements would not arrive for several days, but by that time, the planet would be taken. They would pay for their crimes, the crimes they planned to commit, and the acts that would never be forgiven that haunted his mind. Taru growled slightly and stalked about Gaul's office. "I'm searching as quickly as I can, Taru." Tem mumbled, searching through the database to find the locations of the other Valcun bases. Tem had been to many of them, but most were destroyed during the Cardan war, and, he learned through the database, during his absence in space. "Bothuwai, Duro and Coruscant." Tem announced. Taru stopped and took a contemplative look. "Put that on a piece of flimsy and add Heleska 8." He said slowly. Tem nodded and went about his appointed task, while Taru took a silent seat.

Looking down at Anteid, Auwna wondered how many would remember, who would want to remember, what happened on its surface. The gruesome attack played through her mind as their ship made its escape to Coruscant. Many people died, defending what had become their home, and now seven ships, filled with as many Valcun's as they could cram in there and made blind runs for space. The rest were left on the surface, to either hide, to fight, or to die. Auwna's heart constricted painfully. Vion was trapped down on Anteid, droids had cut them off and he had thrown himself at them. For a thief, he truly did belong there. She didn't want to abandon Anteid, she didn't want to leave her only home, this was unfair. Whoever attacked them would pay for this, for all her friends that stained the planet red with their blood. She clenched her fist tightly, her fingernails piercing the skin in her palms. A hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Calm down. We'll regroup on Coruscant. Things'll be okay." Ruwn offered. Auwna let out a long sigh. "I know, I know."

Xio Mara sat cross-legged in the garden, letting the life flow through her and pushing it outwards, searching for any sign of Tem. Any little tingle, any little flicker, any little hint that could lead her to him. He couldn't be dead, she didn't want to believe it, and even after a year, she refused to give up hope. There was nothing, though, and he was no where in the galaxy as far as Xio could search. She sighed and opened her eyes, standing slowly. Mande Awtuc made her way forward and bowed deeply. "Any luck?" She asked sullenly. Xio simply shook her head and fixed the ruffles in her robes. "I'm afraid I don't bring any uplifting news. Auwna Wenz has just arrived from Anteid and wishes to speak with you immediately." Xio looked up suddenly. Maybe Auwna had some news on Tem. "Quickly then, let's meet with her."

"There's only a handful of us left from Anteid. Patrols indicate that droids now have the entire system secure. We won't be going back to Anteid unless we bring a battalion of warships." Auwna explained everything that had happened. "The weird thing is, none of the sentry patrols noticed, no ships reported in the attack from space. It was as if they knew everything about us before coming." Auwna murmured. Mande crinkled her nose. "What do you plan to do now?" She asked, stroking her fur flat. "We're being dispatched to Bothuwai, and to fend off any attack that may arise, though, it seems like suicide." The Zabrak replied. "I want to go with you." Mande said suddenly, taking everyone back a step. "What?" Xio and Auwna shouted simultaneously. Ruwn found this funny and started snickering in the background. Auwna hit him. "Ow." He complained. "I didn't hit you that hard." Auwna protested. Ruwn grinned. "I know." She hit him again. "Why do you want to go to Bothuwai?" Xio asked the Frozian. Mande stared into the distance for a minute before replying. "A feeling."

Anteid was theirs, in a military standpoint, but Taru might beg to differ. Tem didn't bother asking him, nor did he really want to. They stood together at the top of the large flight of stairs into the main lobby area. Droids were everywhere, standing at attention. "Ah… Anteid is ours." Well that answered his question. "But this whole planet domination business is too painstakingly long." Taru said with the same kind of tone as a cocky-pilot who had just barely come out of an asteroid field with their ship in one piece. Tem saw a glimpse of Taru's plan through his mind. "No, I refuse to be a part of this." Tem said, stopping his descent down into the lobby area, letting Taru take a few steps ahead. Taru stopped slowly, but didn't turn. As if he had been right beside Tem, Taru was there, gripping his throat and holding him off the ground. "You are committed to this, and you will do as I tell you. Now gather me ferocious beasts of Anteid and bring me the foolish one who I should've killed." Taru growled, his face close to Tem's. He dropped Tem roughly to the steps and watched as the young man rolled down the steps down to the lobby area. Tem lay on the ground, nodding shakily. "Yes, Taru."

Vion was forced into the arena again; the top had been shielded now, remains of one of their cruisers, it seemed. It made him shiver uneasily. Droids guarded any exits and several patrolled the stands. Vion couldn't decide whether it was for security, a show of power which was suppose to frighten him, or it was to protect any accidents from happening. Any accidents that would threaten their work here, not any accidents that could occur to Vion. He had no doubt this was an execution, meant to satisfy some sick mind's idea of a game. Either way, Vion now stood in the center of all trouble. The tunnel way gates groaned open and allowed passage for their captives. Unfortunately, the captives weren't other sentient beings, they were local predators. Two Gueze, large flying lizards that had razor sharp teeth and claws, a Whishturpia, a mass of tentacles and boneless, soft flesh, a Brugin, a beast that could challenge a Wookiee with tree trunk arms, and a Ingar, a hell hound, in Vion's personal opinion. The Ingar wasted no time, destroying a droid, which collapsed to the ground, then turned on Vion, charging. It leapt for his throat, but it never had the chance to close its jaw on him. Vion's fist shattered the neck of the beast with a popping cracking sound, and the limp body hit the ground. Without time to think, the Brugin swung its arms in a flurry at the Falleen, causing him to stumble back and fall, just as the Whishturpia's tentacles whipped through the space he had just been in and wrapped around the Brugin. The two large beasts fought with each other, while Vion crawled out of the way. There was something wrong, though. The arena seemed empty with only the three beasts in the center. _Three beasts!_ Vion thought frantically. Where had the Gueze gone? The Falleen wished he hadn't gotten an answer to that as sharp talons dug into his shoulder. With a scream of pain, he was lifted off his feet and carried high into the air. The screech of the two Gueze was deafening, but he knew the meaning of the cries instantly; _I have food_. The second Gueze swooped in, snapping its jaws at Vion, but he squirmed just out of its reach, tearing the skin in his flesh, blood ran freely and it pained him every time he moved. _A little pain is nothing_, Vion snarled to himself as the Gueze made another snap at him, _if I want to fraggin' live! _He struggled more and finally broke free of the grip, a bloody glob of flesh falling freely through the air as he scaled the Gueze's leg. Clawing, painfully, up the Gueze's back and neck, he rammed his fingers into its small yellow eyes. The beast screeched and Vion fought the urge to vomit as he continued destroying the beast's vision. He admitted to himself that the plan wasn't a very good idea as the Gueze crashed into a wall and snapped its neck. It nose-dived as it fell through the air and Vion slipped off the beast's head. The open jaw of the other Gueze tore through his ribs and the Falleen rolled down its back. He was getting tired, losing consciousness from the severe blood loss. Before Vion had a chance to gather himself and formulate another plan, the Brugin smashed into the Gueze and rocketed them up into the ship hull ceiling. His eyes widened and he rolled off the Gueze's back, falling through the air.

"Look, he's falling." Taru said blandly. Tem moved closer to the window and peered over. "He'll snap his neck." He said, clawing at the edge of the transparisteel window slightly. "A pity, won't it? We'll have to find someone else to handle Duro." Taru said, turning away from the window. Tem sneered at the back of Taru's head, and looked out at Vion again. Despite what Taru said about Vion needing to prove himself to them, Tem didn't want to see the Falleen die. Stretching out, he slowed the descent of which the man fell, but let him hit the ground hard enough to make Taru hide a thin smile. The battle was nearing its end, and Vion needed all the help he could get.

Vion hit the ground like a rock, and was surprised he didn't end up as a pile of lifeless goo on the arena floor. His whole body shook from the impact and his bones rattled. The Falleen wished he _had_ been turned into a pile of goo, because the alternative was much more unpleasant. The Whishturpia had wrapped its tentacles around Vion and began crushing the life out of him, lifting him off the ground and slowly pulling him over itself. His eyes bulged and bones cracked, air escaped his lungs and blood circulation stopped going to his extremities. Consciousness barely dwindled in him as he was held just above the Whishturpia, it's maw opening and showing off large, tearing fangs that slashed back and forth hungrily. Vion tried to struggle against the tentacles, but it was in vain, and he was slowly lowered into the Whishturpia's mouth. He clenched his teeth and focused on escaping, trying to think of a way to get free. As if willed into existence, a blaster slapped into his palm and his eyes widened. There was no time to wonder how the blaster had gotten there, only that he had to use it. A fang dug into his boot and he squirmed to free himself, awkwardly aiming the blaster at the very center of the slimy maw. It only took one shot. The Whishturpia fell and the tentacles unraveled, releasing Vion. The Falleen's head was spinning now, and droids surrounded him. "Drop your weapon." One of them ordered. Vion responded by vomiting at their feet and passing out.

After only three days of floating in a bacta tank, Vion had been revitalized. His training would begin. Taru had it all worked out and knew exactly what to do. "Good to see you have healed. Much quicker than I expected, I admit. You must be in tune with the Force." Taru spoke as if he were a long time friend. Vion's discomfort was apparent, but Taru couldn't place his finger on why. It wasn't important, what was important was the careful placement of ideas into the Falleen's head. Vion remained silent, so Taru continued. "Yes," He began again, not changing his tone, looking out over Anteid, "I think you'd make a fine student of mine." He smiled slightly, as if to his reflection only, then his tone distanced. "I never would have thought you, of all beings, would wield the Force." Taru snapped out of his trance. "But that blaster flying from the ground to your hand, unaided by that troublesome Marr, proved me quite wrong." He said with a dangerous smile. "Come, let's walk and discuss some things."

The sounds of metal and machines drowned their footsteps, but never Taru's voice. "Here the massive machines of war are created. They mean nothing, they just mean I have less work to do." Taru explained, waving his arms at the moving arms. Vion followed obediently but didn't speak. "Now, these," Taru gestured to a massive looking droid, larger than the rest, boasting a turbolaser battery. Taru stared at them, eyes twinkling slightly, but only because sparks were flying in his direction. "These… are my most favorite toys. These will crawl over my personal flagship one day, and they will be feared by all." Taru said, delighted with himself. Vion shifted slightly. Tem sat at a workbench, designing new droids, by Taru's order, and hummed softly to himself. "Marr!" Vion jumped. Tem gave no sign that he heard, but Taru knew otherwise. "You will be training our Falleen friend. Understand?" There was an unspoken response but it was settled. "Good."

They were now on a balcony. As far as Vion could tell, he was still with Taru. He had that quality of being more confident and talkative, with the hint of deathly fury boiling just under his skin. Vion couldn't help but be uneasy around the threatening figure. "You now have a path laid before you." Taru said, leaning against the railing, which Vion didn't wish to go near. He kept seeing himself being thrown over the edge in his mind. "You can train under the despicable Marr, or return to your friends. Mind you, I will come to every Facility in the galaxy and solely destroy each and every Valcun that I come across." Taru threatened. Vion silently devised a plan to shove the Dark Jedi over the edge. "You want to kill me." Taru said bluntly. "But why would you kill one who gives you opportunity, where your 'friends' have left you to die by my hands. Do you really want to return to a place that does not want you there?" He offered, staring at the Falleen evenly. Vion took a sharp breath. He had never thought of that. Auwna… they had fought back to back to save themselves, but she had left the planet, and he had taken on the droids to save her. Where was the rescue party? Where was Auwna with reinforcements to secure the planet again! Dark thoughts spun through his head rapidly. He _had_ been left behind. "They are criminals, in the darkness of their hearts. All of them. I am going to eradicate them from the galaxy." The Dark Jedi gestured for him to come closer, and spread his arm over the vastness below the balcony. "You can lead my armies. _You_ can show those that you are more power than them, and that you could survive where they would not." Vion looked over the edge of the balcony. He wasn't thrown over, but what he saw took his breath away. Thousands of droids were formed in parade positions; all glistening in the dull sun that hung in the sky. "They are yours to command, Master Vion. I ask only one thing in exchange for these droids; train with Marr and follow some simple orders." Taru said, looking out at the droids, as well. "I accept, My Lord." Vion said, smiling darkly at the droids before him.

Myta Riela's ship, _Scarlet Skies_, roared through Bothuwai's atmosphere. After the battle at Heleska Eight, she had vanished back into being the silent bounty hunter that she was. With the news of Tem Marr's missing body from the surface spreading quickly through the ranks, many search parties began looking for him, but to no avail. His MIA status went to Dead in his file. Those closest to him had become withdrawn and tried to cope with his departure, but still, they would not give up hope. Myta had been tracking Tem's personal space cruiser after that day. _Reason_ had been spotted leaving the system, and Myta was determined to find out why Tem's ship remained active when he was dead. Myta had flown the cruiser briefly and knew some of the countermeasures Tem activated to his ship being stolen. He even used old flight code recognition programs; he wanted to protect his ship so badly. No one could get into that ship unless they had those codes and Tem was the only one who had them. She followed the ship into Cardan space, then to Anteid, followed by a fleet of warships. She had stayed on Anteid for several days, watching the Facility burn, yet remain active, with droids patrolling the area heavily. She had snapped several holos of Tem on the grounds. He had changed significantly since the battle at Heleska. She had one of the holos sitting on the console in front of her. She didn't even recognize him anymore. Maybe it wasn't him; she could just be mistaken. Myta would show his friends, finding their ship heading to Bothuwai, and let them decide. She gave one more longing look at the holo that glowed softly in front of her. _What has happened to you, Tem?_

Electrobinoculars locked on Myta's ship, the _Scarlet Skies_, Eder Dez watched as she made her way to the Valcun Facility. _Just as the dark one said_, the Firrereo thought to himself. He, just like Myta, was an Outrider bounty hunter, and he had taken a job to track the Firrereon for as long as it took. The dark man who would not reveal his identity, and seemed untraceable was paying him very handsomely. But he wasn't doing anything other than watching her. It was time to make things more interesting. Hefting his bag, he climbed into his speeder and sped towards the Facility.

"Focus!" Tem shouted at the Falleen as cold metal smacked him across the face. He fell to his knees and regained himself. "Stretch out your feelings. Feel where my next attack is." Tem preached, spinning his metal staff in his hands. Vion was bruised, tired and worn out, but Tem would not let up. Vion began to get angry, and he lunged at the Jedi. Metal clashed and Tem remained unaffected by yet another of the Falleen's useless attempts to strike his trainer. They split and took up defense stances. Vion reached out as hard as he could, tried to sense where the next blow would come from, and time seemed to slow. An uppercut was coming, and Vion avoided it, using the opportunity to trip his trainer. Pressing the tip of his staff against Tem's chest, he grinned bitterly. "Are we done yet?" Tem smirked. "Far from it." The younger man kicked the Falleen in the side and sent him to the ground. Twirling his staff, Tem continued to smirk at Vion. "We have a lot of work to do."

"I have more holos on the _Scarlet_, but that's the clearest of them. I thought it was Tem, but you Jedi would know better." Myta told the two Jedi as they looked at the holo. Mande sighed softly and stroked her fur. "It is him." Xio said softly. Auwna stormed into the room, followed by Ruwn and a commander who resided on Bothuwai in the Facility, overseeing the Admiral's stay, along with her guests. "Why didn't you tell me!" She shouted at the two Jedi angrily. Mande took this unflinching, but Xio backed into the table, knocking over the holo. There was silence as the Zabrak glared, her eyes glassy. Ruwn and the commander stood silently behind her, unsure what to do. "We did not know the Firrereon had the news." Mande said coolly. Auwna hissed, tears forming. Myta spoke up. "Tem is on Anteid, he's staying in the Facility, and the droids don't touch him. If anything, he orders them around." She informed the Iridonian. Auwna turned sharply and snarled. "No! Don't say that! Tem isn't leading a droid army! He isn't! He didn't destroy our home! He didn't!" Tears streaked down her cheeks and she turned away from them. Another silence fell over the room. Myta shifted slightly. She had learned more of the doings on Anteid, and wasn't sure if she should wait for the Zabrak to get over herself or to press on. The Frozian leaned back and regarded her. She assumed that was a signal to press on. Gathering the courage, she spoke up again. "Tem didn't attack Anteid. He's there with another… Jedi, or Sith, or what ever it is that monster is." She said slowly. "Taru Tyenn commands the droid armies and is the one in control. I haven't seen him, but that's all the comm channels talk about. I don't know what or why Tem is there for." Myta hushed again. Auwna shook her head and slowly left the room. Ruwn looked down at the blinking holo, which showed Tem's face and nodded his head slowly. "He couldn't have." He murmured softly and left the room. "Master Jedi." The commander said, saluting and then leaving the room. "I'll see what more I can find." Myta told the two Jedi when the door had closed behind them. "That would be appreciated." Mande replied, as Xio ran the player's smooth edges in her palm. Myta looked at the other woman and nodded slightly. She still loved him. _When I find Tem_, Myta thought to herself, _I'll make sure he sees his way to you, Xio._

Myta strode towards the _Scarlet_. She had no idea what she was going to do. Tem was a target that she couldn't even get close to now. She racked her brain furiously, determined to figure something out. A blaster pressed against the back of her neck, and she realized she was outside of the Facility's camera range. _You idiot_, Myta cursed herself. She didn't feel that bad about being caught off guard, when she realized she wasn't being hunted for that last… mishap a few years ago. "Slowly take your weapons out and lower them on the ground." The male voice said. _Male_. She slowly reached down and pulled out her blasters, leaning down to drop them. She reached for one of the vibroblades and started to kneel down, felt the blaster give slightly and spun on her heel. She slammed her knee into his groin and kicked the blaster from his grip, catching it from the air. The Firrereo lay on the ground hissing profanities. "Eder! What the hell is your problem!" She shouted at the Firrereo and tossed the blaster onto his stomach, making him wince even more. She picked up her blasters and put them back in their places. "What kind of game is this that you're playing?" She shook her head at the other bounty hunter, as he slowly got back up, taking in deep breaths. She shook her head and held out her hand to help him the rest of the way up. She made sure he put his blaster back into its holster before slipping her vibroblade back into it's pouch. "I've been paid to track you." He said after several minutes of regaining himself. "By who?" Myta asked, loosing interest and looking over her shoulder towards her ship. Eder shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "I'm also being paid not to ask questions, under severe penalty." He drew a finger across his throat. Myta nodded and slapped him for good measure. "That's for putting a blaster against me, making me dirty my blasters on the ground, and wasting my time!" She shouted at him and stormed off to her ship.

Vion caught the lightsaber thrown at him. "We will only train once with these lightsabers." Tem ignited his green lightsaber, an emerald glow washing over the room. "But, that will be insufficient! I need more training!" Vion argued. Tem shook his head. "The metal poles are heavier than a lightsaber, but are the same principle. A lightsaber, the tool of a Jedi, and the weapon of the Sith, is… empowering in a way. One lesson is all you will need and it will be to familiarize yourself with it." Vion looked over the lightsaber and activated it. The ruby red blade fought back the emerald glow and now the room was split in two. "Begin." Tem said, holding his lightsaber parallel to his body. Vion leapt forward and swung his blade, but Tem had vacated the space he had been in. The Falleen stumbled and regained himself. Tem was standing in the opposite end of the room. Vion couldn't grasp the logistics of it, and realized his mistake. This was the Force, and Tem was at a point Vion had never even heard of before. Tem was now moving towards him, purposely going slow as if begging Vion to challenge him. Vion did, but this time, he was ready for the unimaginable. But nothing unusual came this time. The two energy blades clashed and sparks flew. "Let out with you anger!" Taru's voice echoed into the room. Tem kicked Vion's legs out from under him and back flipped out of range. Vion searched deep inside for a reason to be angry with his opponent and pulled up a recent memory of being kicked while he was down. With a roar, Vion leapt forward, catching the Jedi flat-footed, and they locked blades once again. Tem stumbled backward from the Falleen's weight and fell, with an added shove from Vion as he separated their blades. Glaring down at the human, he hefted the lightsaber above his head. "Vion!" Tem shouted, "Disengage!" But the Falleen didn't hear, just the whisper of great power, by only slaying this one in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he snarled one last word to Tem. "No." The blade swept down, and Tem moved to intercept. Vion changed course to parry, but he hit nothing but air. Tem's lightsaber had shut down; he kicked him in the side and sent him sprawling into a wall. The lightsaber flew from Vion's hand into Tem's and he nodded, almost disappointed. "You have passed, Vion."

Vion was dressed in a new black robe, metal shoulder pads that were worn and burned in some spots. Dual lightsabers, specially made from Tem, hung from his belt. His hair released from the topknot, he wore it long over his robes, the white contrasting against the black. "Go to Duro," Taru had said that morning, before the Dark One left for Heleska Eight, "Destroy all the Valcuns in your way and destroy the Facility." Vion now marched through the legions of droids. These were his armies, and he would bring justice to the galaxy. The Valcuns would not be permitted to continue with this treachery, and he would watch Auwna Wenz die by his hands. He would be sure of it.

The ride to Duro was silent, the droids proving little worth in conversation, and Vion felt lonely. It was strange; very strange. He'd never liked the company of the others at the Facility, and because of his race, he was seen as a cold, bitter alien by most. With a sigh, Vion no longer felt restrained by the fact that he was to conceal his feelings. He need not fear the ridicule and inferiority placed on him by his kin, he was now strong enough to show emotion. He had already thrown away most of his species belief since he took part in following the Dark One. Tem Marr was different in person up close, then he had been, stalking the Facility and seen on the holonet. He was seeing that maybe, just maybe; Tem Marr was worthy of all the glory he received… The ship shuddered as it landed. So, they marched, and marched, and marched into the wastes of Duro, as it progressed slowly into a self-polluted world. Through the haze, there lay the Facility, glowing slightly. Ten thousand droids strong, they would be unchallenged. "Halt!" A voice called out, and that's when Vion sensed all the Valcun's waiting for them. They had known they were coming and had fortified their defenses. They now were standing to meet the droids, but at nearly half the manpower, they didn't stand a chance. All the droids halted and Vion stood straighter. "You can stop me when you kill me!" The Falleen replied and unclipped his lightsabers from his belt.

_Reason_ hung in orbit around Heleska Eight. Tem and Taru stood at the viewport looking down at the icy surface, far below them. "They say," Taru began, running a long, thin, skeletal finger down the glass, as if making the planet spin on its axis, "someone with great focus, determination, and ferocity, the signs of a true warrior. They say that a fire burns in their eyes, the flame that can never be put out. Tell me," Taru turned to Tem and bore into his mind slightly, "what do you see in my eyes?" Tem was afraid to look, but he did. A supernova burned in Taru's eyes, but it was only an illusion of the mind, he knew. That, however, did not take away from the fear he gained as he watched Taru literally pull the planet below them to pieces. Clutching their chests, they both fell to their knees. No matter how strong either of them was, that much death was not easily blocked by their efforts. Taru seemed to get a pleasure from it all, grinning darkly after each of his dark deeds. Tem, on the other hand, was left with a hollow aching. As the planet's surface rebuilt itself, fissures of icy water shooting up through cracks and freezing in place, it would, one day, return to being a complete whole. Tem shook his head. "I'm going to my quarters. Get me when we arrive back on Anteid. I no longer wish to be in your company now." He said painfully, stalking out from the bridge and going to his small, dark quarters. At least here, he was relatively alone and could work in peace. Turning on the lights, he heard a whirr of servomotors before he saw the droid pace forward. "Greetings Master Marr." Defor spoke with a cold, mechanical voice. Tem seemed to find the varying emotions in the droid though, and he thought of it as a friend. "Defor, what a surprise. Is there something I can do for you?" Tem said, feeling his mood brighten by the droids presence. "Yes, my rotary cannon has a broken connector. I am unable to fire with it." The HWSD spoke without complaint, twirling the rotary cannon as if to point out the problem. "All right then." Tem said, smiling slightly and pulling out a long tool, beginning to slide it through the barrel. "You could use another cleaning. Your barrel's scorched senseless." Tem was saying as he looked onto a display from the tool. "Right there. The connector has disconnected and the focus points need realigning." Defor said, as his little head swiveled to try and peer at the display. "It's in too deep though. Goes right back into your casing. I'll have to peel off your outer shell and get in there." The droid jolted back. "No, you cannot remove my casing. The… components are too delicate. I will just have to use one rotary cannon. Thank you, Master Ma-…" The droid tried to make a quick escape, but Tem was blocking his path. "What's your problem? I won't damage anything. I'll be extra careful." He said, leaning forward and shutting down the droid. The body went rigid and hissed as servos locked into place. "Oh no, please don't, Master Marr. I beg you." Defor pleaded. Tem cocked an eyebrow at the droid, wondering why it was still running. "What's going on?" He asked, beginning to pull apart the casing. "Oh dear…" The HWSD moaned and with a _pop_, the casing opened. Inside, was a tiny droid, like one of the new maintenance droids they had for those racers. "My whole body is a vessel." The little droid explained, climbing out of the casing and walking onto the table. "At the time of Cuun's war, he needed a strong supply of droids that, if broken, could be easily repaired and replaced, if need be." Defor explained, sitting at the edge of the table so his stubby robotic legs dangled over the edge. "Maintenance droids were used as pilots, and crammed into these ships. We controlled everything, and suddenly, we had grown a much bigger understanding of the galaxy. We now had power, and a cause. When a body was damaged, the maintenance droid inside was retrieved and placed in a new body. If the droid was damaged, a new droid would replace him. If both were destroyed, a new droid and body was sent out. Cheap and very efficient, we slaughtered a good many Jedi. It made BD-C0R, made of cortosis-weave durasteel, seem like a waste of good credits." Defor shook his head, which seemed much larger than his short body now. Tem had bent down on his knees to listen to the little droid, and now looked like a child listening to a grand story unfolding, as told by a grandparent. "Really?" Tem asked the obvious. The droid nodded his head. "I'm sure now that our secret is revealed, I'm sure you'll wish to abandon us. I've seen the new designs for the next droid model. It would put us to shame…" Defor seemed so biological, Tem wanted to give him a hug and make him feel better. "Tell you what," Tem smiled and stood up, picking the little droid from the table and setting him on his shoulders. "I fix your body, you climb back in there, before Taru notices, and these new droids get postponed a little longer. Even with these new droids, though, I'll always want you around, Defor." The little droid seemed to brighten slightly. "Truly, Master Marr?" Tem nodded, and felt the droid grip his hair for stability. "Truly."

"No word from Duro Facility has come back. They were issued a daily report, to maintain contact. We fear the worse." Commander Fus warbled. The two Jedi were not allowed present for this news, by order of Auwna. Ruwn didn't like it, and wished she would just let go of her hatred for the Jedi. Besides, Tem was a Jedi, Auwna liked Tem. At least, that's what Ruwn thought. His attention began to wander as the Mon Calamari commander continued. "Probes sent to the area have also gone missing. Scout ships are on route to Duro now to investigate." Auwna had been promoted and had become High Commander and she sat on a command chair listening to the report. "According to the Duro in the area, several Cardan cruisers had gone planet side." Ruwn narrowed his eyes slightly and shifted. Auwna nodded and got up. "Get me when the scouts arrive in the Duro system, I want to be there for their report." She said, coldly. Ruwn followed her out of the command center down a corridor. "This is important. Don't you think our two Jedi friends should know about this?" Ruwn asked, as they made their way to their quarters. "They aren't our friends." She spoke bitterly. "Just because the Jedi can't keep all peace, and everlasting happiness in the galaxy, doesn't mean you have to hate them." Ruwn said. Auwna turned around and glared at him. "Those Jedi that are here, they don't want to help us, they want to get to Tem." Her lips twisted as she fought to keep from sobbing. "They'll leave us for dead, as long as we get them to Tem. They only want him, and nothing more." Tears streaked down her cheeks and she left him alone in the corridor. Ruwn stood there for a second and watched her go. "Tem's a Jedi, do you not trust him anymore either?" He murmured, then went to see Xio and Mande.

Auwna heard his last remark as she stalked away, fighting with the conflicting emotions tearing her insides apart. _Tem's a Jedi, do you not trust him anymore either?_ She felt her heart sink. The only family she had ever had was Tem, who was like a brother to her, and he was gone now. She couldn't face the fact that he was on Anteid after the destruction of the Facility. She didn't want to. Auwna wanted her brother back, to be there for her and help her along. She realized something there, at that instance. Tem was a good man, a very good man, but had gone and become a Jedi. If Tem had truly destroyed her home on Anteid, then he had been corrupted by his power. The innocent brother she had, was now a power-hungry monster. She clutched her chest as the pain sparked through her at the thought. Auwna cursed the Jedi, cursed them for taking Tem and turning him into a monster! Eyes narrowing, she turned and ran towards the Jedi's quarter. She had a bone to pick with them.

"Duro Facility has lost contact?" Xio asked, when Ruwn had finished. "Attacked, by the mysterious Taru Tyenn, no doubt." Mande spoke thoughtfully. Ruwn let the two Jedi dwell on this in silent contemplation for a moment before continuing. "I'm going to go to Duro and take a look around. I'd like some Jedi expertise on the situation." Ruwn half-grinned. Xio nodded her head and Mande had already gotten her pack filled with an extra robe and some nourishment bars. "I'm ready." The door opened and Auwna stormed in, right into Xio's face and pointing a finger at her. "Do you realize what you Jedi have done!" She shouted furiously. Xio remained silent, with a calm look on her face. Ruwn and Mande watched silently. "You took him away from us! You're 'teachings' corrupted his mind, and now look at him! He's destroying planets, and it's all your fault! You took him away…" Auwna's voice dropped as she sunk to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Ruwn embraced her and tried to comfort her, though he wasn't sure what was wrong. "They took him from me…" She murmured. "They took him…" Xio stepped back and walked around the two. "Mande, let's go wait in the ship."

Auwna shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispered to Ruwn. "You shouldn't be apologizing to me…" Ruwn said carefully. He helped her up and held her arm to steady her. "Maybe you should get some rest. All of this has really got you stressed out. I'm going to go to Duro and check out the Facility with Xio and Mande. You stay here, okay?" She jerked her arm free from him and stood straighter. "No, we'll all go to Duro. I want to see the damage for myself."

Eder looked at the disfigured image displayed on the viewport in front of him. "Your orders are changing." The Dark One's distorted voice filled the cockpit. "Just name it, as long as the credits are making their way into my account." A thin lipped smile played across the darkened features. "Myta plans to accomplish something foolish, you are to watch over her and protect her. Your payment will be increased for the extra risk your life will be put in. I am being more than generous, do not fail me." The message terminated itself before Eder had the chance to say anything. With no idea where Myta was going, or what she was going to do, he would simply have to follow her, and protect her when the time arose.

They took three ships to Duro, two fighters and a small transport, just in case. Mande hissed sharply as they entered the atmosphere, and Xio could feel it too. This place was smothered in darkness and it was suffocating. There was a strange familiarity to it, though. The surface threatened to engulf her as she walked the surface. The battlefield was strewn with bodies, of metal and of flesh. The others were talking about what had happened, but Mande could _see_ it. She looked down at the footsteps that had remained in the soil. There was a human, or like-human leading the droids. Sniffing the air, she looked up at the ravaged Facility and was sucked into the past.

On this plane, she was seeing the world through the eyes of the leader. Her body was now shorter, stronger and slightly awkward, but she wasn't in control of the movements. She looked up again at the Facility, swarming with people, gun turrets pointed down at her. "Don't come any closer!" A voice threatened, amplified by some electrical device inside. Mande was moving forward now, defiantly. The armies behind her remained unmoving, waiting for her order. "Or you'll what?" Her voice melded with the host's voice, creating an eerie result. "Just try and stop me!" She shouted again. This statement was met with blaster fire. It rained down like hail-fire across Duro's surface, droids taking to arms and returning fire. She remained unscathed, though. Dual, blood red lightsabers snapped to life and she walked straight through the firestorm, still unaffected. Her host moved with lightning speed, decimating the soldiers that they ran into. Heads literally rolled until they had finally reached a massive room. Looking up, she saw that there were balconies for each floor going up for about ten stories. In the center of the room was a shaft that, according to the mildew and condensation on the shaft's grill, was a fountain. She felt the body contort it's face into a mocking sneer as Valcun's aimed their blasters down at them. Stepping onto the grill, water rushed up as the fountain was turned back on by a wave of their hand. Controlling the flow with the Force, the host then launched lightning from their fingertips as they rose through the Facility. A force that no one could be prepared for, not even the Jedi. It was a frightening thought as Mande witnessed the merciless massacre of the beings in the Facility, until finally no life, other than that in the host, remained. During the battle, she had seen bits of reflections of the host body, and managed to finally get a complete image of the being, but was still unsure of who it was. Through it all, she had an unnerving sense of familiarity. A hand fell on their shoulder and Mande returned to the present.

Caught off guard, and still believing to be in the plane she had traveled to, Mande lashed out with her lightsaber, spinning around, ready to decapitate the soldier that had remained standing somehow. Lightsaber raised, she did not see a Valcun, armed for battle and for almost willing death, she saw Xio standing there, frightened, unflinching. Mande looked up at the two Iridonians and saw they had their blasters drawn defensively. Deactivating her lightsaber, she clipped it back onto her belt. "I'm sorry." She apologized and bowed her head. "What happened? You weren't with us for a bit there…" Xio asked, resting her hand, again, on the Frozian. "I saw the massacre of the beings here. A Falleen led them to victory, apparently. None were left alive." Mande offered. Auwna put her blaster away and walked away, out to the landing strip where their ships had rested. Ruwn watched her go and sighed. "Ruwn, I have a question. I'm going to show you the Falleen in my vision." She said to the Iridonian, inserting the image of the host to him. "Whoa, hey, what? Hey, that looks like Vion, 'cept his hair is down." He said, looking slightly confused. "Was he the one…?" Understanding came slow to the Iridonian, Mande noted, as she nodded. "He has a fighting style much like Tem's." She added to Xio. "So, he's still alive, then?" Ruwn asked, hopefully. "Yes, Tem's alive and training a killing machine." Xio said bitterly, as she looked over the dead bodies. Ruwn took this chance to leave and check on Auwna, while the two Jedi spoke. "This is a serious matter, Xio." Mande lowered her voice. The human nodded and stroked back her hair. "If Tem has become what it seems he has, then, we have no choice. We have to kill him. He's too much of a threat." Xio said, her voice faltering. The Frozian wrapped her long arms around the much smaller being. "I'm afraid so."

Vion's ship landed, adrenaline still pumping through his body as he indulged in each moment of the death he had caused, it powered his entire system as he ran across the Valcun compound field and into the Facility. Taking steps three at a time, climbing the stairwell, trying to find Tem or Taru. Droids stepped out of his way and stood at attention as he ran through the corridors. By the time he found Taru on the balcony looking over the hangar, he was finally worn down. Vion stood next to Taru and looked down at the ship being constructed. "She will be flying in the fleet, yes Master?" He asked, unsure of the ship's purpose. "Not until our last confrontation with out enemies." Tem spoke up from the shadowed corner, easily vanishing in the shadows with his black robes. "Master Marr, I did not see you there." Vion bowed. "What do you mean final confrontation?" Taru turned finally and snapped at the corner. "Now look what you've done! You've worried the child!" He turned and faced the Falleen. "He believes he saw our demise in a final battle on a world far from here. But the future remains in constant motion and there is no guarantees that is what will happen." He said, glaring at the shadow. Vion nodded. "I understand. What is thy bidding, my Master?" Taru turned with a thin smile on his lips. "The end of our rivals is coming close. We will soon have their plague washed from the galaxy and you will be a hero. We must go to Bothuwai." A dark smile played on Vion's lips. "Full force. They will not stand." The two Dark Jedi laughed, as the Jedi in the corner remained painfully silent.

"I'm going to go to Coruscant and speak with the Grand Council. We're going to be decimated if this keeps up." Auwna was saying as she prepared her ship for take-off. "They think Tem is behind this, you know." Ruwn said quietly, causing Auwna to stop everything she was doing. "What?" She fought to keep from growling. "Xio and Mande, they said Vion was here. Leading the droids against us. He trained Vion to do the things of a Dark Jedi. Tem's gone against us. Even you can't argue that Tem'll go for Bothuwai next. He's going to finish us off and I want to see for myself that it's him." He said slowly. Auwna looked at him, no emotion on her face. "If there's even the slightest sign of trouble, I'll call in reinforcements that I know you'll lead from Coruscant." He said, sniffling slightly. She walked up to him. "Ruwn." Her voice was cracking and they embraced in a tight hug. "I have to try and stop him, Auwna. He's not supposed to be like this." Ruwn murmured into her neck. "I know…" She replied simply. Slipping out of her embrace, he smiled at her sadly, as if it would be the last time. Ducking into the cockpit of his fighter, he launched off into space.

Over Anteid, the warships of Taru's army fell into formation. Taru and Vion stood at the viewport watching over them while Tem remained hidden in shadows, uninterested in seeing the ships jump into hyperspace. "After Bothuwai, we will have scourged all of the vile Valcuns from the galaxy and we will finally end this nonsense." Taru was saying, continuing to brainwash Vion. "What of the Grand Council on Coruscant?" Vion asked, causing Tem to smirk. Taru was silent for several minutes before he spoke again. "They pose no threat and they will be dealt with." He said confidently, but quickly changed the subject. "Strap yourself in, we will be jumping to Hyperspace any moment."

Auwna was finally admitted before the Grand Council, after handing over her scout blaster and showing proper identification, but was still under watch by three armed escorts. Led to the audience chamber, she was brought before the Grand Council, made up of three beings. A male human, a male Twi'lek and a female Falleen made up the council and were rumored to be accomplished war heroes, fully decorated and formed the Valcun's for the safety of the Republic, but no one knew for sure. The council itself would not talk about it themselves, which made Auwna suspicious, but as long as she remained in the Valcun's, she was in no place to judge. She was a soldier, paid to go to war, and fight until she was shot down in battle, or she quit dishonorably. That wasn't an option though, not now yet, at least. "Sirs, Lady," She greeted the council formally before continuing, "I bring startling news from Duro and, most probably, Bothuwai very soon." She took a deep breath, trying to forget that Ruwn would be there, joining the dead if they were right. "We received no word from Duro when their regular report was due. Upon investigation, we found the Facility in ruins. With our Jedi inve-…" The human spoke up. "Jedi? What are Jedi doing in this? We don't need the Jedi." A stern look from the Falleen shut him up and she nodded at Auwna to continue. "The Jedi investigator said that a Dark Jedi was leading the forces and that he had trained under… Tem Marr. We have… every right to believe that the deceased admiral is indeed alive." She choked slightly. "We believe Bothuwai will be his next target. We are requesting additional forces be stationed for Bothuwai immediately, in fact, I am so frightened by this threat that I request these forces be ready for take off the second I leave this chamber. Admiral Marr is a formidable foe, I will not take any chances." The council took this without a word. Finally, the Twi'lek spoke. "I'm afraid we will not be able to meet this request. For one thing, if this is true, Bothuwai Facility should be abandoned, all forces returning here for the protection of both Coruscant and the Valcun forces. We wish you to take this message to Bothuwai, now leave us." Auwna opened her mouth, ready to fight to the death for the additional forces, but she thought better of it. "I will comply. Thank you for your time, sirs, lady." She saluted and walked out. Once free from the audience chamber's presence, she broke into a run. If the Valcun's wouldn't hold Bothuwai, she would personally, even if she needed to beg the two Jedi to help her do it. Too much was at stake.

"A Dark Lord has taken power near the outer rim." Xio explained to the Jedi Council. Master Boh-Dun spoke up as soon as she finished. "It is your Padawan, isn't it?" She was silent, staring at the Firrereo Jedi, then the other Jedi. Nodding her head, she lowered her gaze. "We believe it to be the work of Tem Marr, but we are uncertain. There is, supposedly, a second man, by the name of Taru Tyenn." She added. Master Boh-Dun was taken aback, Master Shin-Ni leaned in, whispering something. "You are certain?" Master Shin-Ni asked, finishing the secret conversation between herself and Master Boh-Dun. "We are sure, Masters." Mande spoke up, the Frozian towering over everyone. "We have a very reliable source." Master Shin-Ni shook her head. "This is an impossibility. The Sith, this Taru Tyenn, has been dead for some time. Nearly forty years, I fear." Master Boh-Dun cleared his throat. "If this is true, then we mus-…" He was cut off by the doors opening suddenly. Xio and Mande turned simultaneously and saw Auwna panting in the doorway. Two Jedi sentinels chasing after her finally caught up. The Iridonian looked pleadingly at the two Jedi, ignoring the two sentinels taking hold of her and the angered Jedi Masters by this intrusion. "Please, Bothuwai is under attack."

Ruwn pulled back the Hyperspace lever and was brought back into lightspeed. Bothuwai lit up before him, as capital ships exchanged firepower. It looked like the full attack force from Anteid had come, and the small amount of force that the Valcun's possessed on Bothuwai would buckle. Racing between the attack, Ruwn ground his teeth together and hoped he could convince the stubborn Bothans to help him. The ships in space were lost, though. His starfighter couldn't help them. _If only Auwna was here…_

"What do you mean!" Ruwn snarled, slamming his fists against the desk of the chief of security on Bothuwai. "People are dying! Do you think that if you let them in, and let them kill us all, you'll be all fine in the end!" He was shouting now, not holding anything back. He'd never been this angry before, he realized while glaring at the Bothan in front of him. "We are not interested in the petty wars of your organizat-…" He slammed his fists again, causing everything on the desk to shudder. "This is beyond the organization! This is beyond this world! Once he's through with us, he'll come back and finish you! This is Jedi business! They're scary and powerful! What will the galaxy do for you, if you turn your back on it! While he's here, he's going to find every weak point on Bothuwai and he'll blow you into space dust! Just by raising his finger!" Ruwn demonstrated by lifting his finger. "Poof. Bothuwai is gone, and that'll be one more reason for the galaxy to be afraid of him. Please, help us, just this once." Ruwn pleaded, on his knees now. The Bothan looked down on him, and Ruwn realized he was crying. "Please." He begged once more, wiping his eyes. "I'm all alone, and I can't do anything to help them. I need your help." He sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Some of the other Bothans in the room shifted slightly and, finally, the Bothan behind the desk nodded. "Lieutenant, dispatch all forces. Let's fight off these invaders."

Armored troop transports raced across Bothuwai's streets, straight for the Facility on the outer edges of the city. Ruwn could see the blockade from here, made up of hundreds of droids lining the road a hundred klicks in front of them. "Brace for impact!" Ruwn shouted over the roar of rushing air inside to the Bothan police inside the transport. "Sir, we're preparing to fire into their lines. Please strap yourself in." The pilot said, banking hard right to avoid some blaster shots. Ruwn seated himself next to a younger looking Bothan, a junior officer. "Hey there, I'm Ruwn. Who're you?" He asked the Bothan. The Bothan offered his hand. "Falet. Nice to meet you, Ruwn." Ruwn shook his head and nodded. "Nice to meet you too, Falet." The first blasts shook the transports as they began weaving and launching their attack. With a blatant disregard for their conditioning, they plowed through the barricades, smashing the droids with ease. Ruwn released his crash webbing and opened up the wall panel to look out. A transport exploded into flames as a missile collided with its hull. "Missiles!" Ruwn shouted and clung desperately to the safety cord. Pulling his blaster rifle off his back he started firing at the droids they passed. "Eat my energy bolts, grease buckets!" He screamed, laughing maniacally. Looking back, he realized all the other Bothans were looking at him, Falet trying to hide his laughter by covering his mouth. With a smirk, Ruwn went back to taking pot shots at the droids.

The transports swung around, creating a defensive perimeter around the Facility. Blasters blazing, officers disembarked, Ruwn leading the way. They now forced the droids to fight on two sides, and with the transports blocking the droids from getting in from the outside, they wouldn't be distracted in splitting their attention. There was still hope for taking the ground forces. "Push forward!" Ruwn shouted and charged the droid forces, blasting his way through them. They quickly split up and set up strong formations, erecting blast shields and energy cannons. Cries echoed throughout the halls as countless hundreds fell to the merciless droids; unyielding, unafraid of a death that would meet them for being rash. Movement caught Ruwn's eyes and he looked up at the catwalks. Droids were coming in to cut them off from behind. "Frag!" He shouted and gestured to the catwalks to Falet, who was closest to him. Nodding, he pulled a force pike from his hip and made his way for the access stairwell. Ruwn hoped the kid knew what he was doing, but had to worry about himself as an energy cannon exploded nearby. "Hold them back!"

Myta crept towards the Anteid Facility, the blue moon the only source of light for miles. The place had been emptied, save for a few sentinels to patrol the grounds. Slipping across the field, she tried to keep each footstep light as to not make any noise. She slipped into the main hall and crept up a stairwell. The whirr of servomotors sounded and she pressed herself against a wall. A droid stalked down a corridor and down the stairwell she had just been on. Her heart raced as its red photoreceptors scanned around the room and she tried to make herself smaller. The droid stop, red light blanketing the area, but it didn't see her, and continued on its way. She breathed a sigh of relief and crawled through the building, looking for the High Commander's office. Looking around quickly, scanning for bugs or hidden cameras, she found the room empty, save for one piece of technology. A console sat on a desk near the back of the room. With an impish grin, Myta eased herself onto the chair and started going through the system files. Planet information made up the majority of the files, Duro, Bothuwai, Anteid, Luath. _Luath_. She stopped and opened the file on Luath. "…Corrupt leader… non-offensive forces… no militia… Oh no… He's going to attack Luath." Myta whispered and quickly downloaded all the plans onto a data disk, slipping it up her sleeve. Servomotors whined and a mechanical voice spoke. "Intruder!" She jumped and ducked behind the desk as a blaster bolt tore through the console. "For the love of…" Myta grumbled and pulled out her blaster, firing over the desk, hoping to make a blind hit. More droids shuffled into the room and began to make their way into the cramped little room, when a side door caught her attention. _The door!_ She thought frantically, firing a few more shots over the desk, then diving for the door, slapping the door panel open. She squeezed through the doorway just as blaster bolts ripped through the space she was just in. Getting up and wasting no time, Myta ran. Ran as fast as her legs could carry her, right into a patrol of droids. "Frag!" She screamed, continuing to run right through them. She quickly armed a thermal detonator and let it drop into the center of the formation, not stopping to see if it worked. An explosion rocked the corridor and she stumbled. Skin tore as the rocky floor burned through clothing. Blood soaked her clothes quickly and she felt cold. Hissing through clenched teeth, she pressed on. The droids would kill her as soon as they found her. Making it outside, cool air rushed to meet her. Droids were everywhere, and she stood no chance to make it to the gate before being shot. Rolling up her sleeve, she pushed some buttons on her wrist remote, calling her ship. It would still be close, but at least now she stood a chance. Running into the field, blaster fire rained down on her from every direction. Pushing herself harder, she squeezed every ounce of energy into running, huffing and puffing as sweat ran down the side of her nose. More blaster fire erupted, but she noticed it was coming the other way. Eder was standing on a small mound with a blaster rifle, firing at any droid that dare fire in their direction. "Hurry!" He called between rounds, changing position to fire on a new droid. "My ships not far! We'll get you safe!" Myta grimaced. "What about my ship!" She called at him. Eder didn't answer, as the roar of an engine whipped by overhead, racing towards the Facility. It fired torpedoes and its main cannons, until finally, it vanished inside a hole it had made in the structure. Wreckage returned through the hole, followed by flames and other debris. Her ship was gone. "My ship!" She shouted, turning to go to the aid of the ship. Eder's hand grabbed her shoulder and dragged her back into him, restraining her. "It's gone! We'll get you a new ship, just come on!" He said to her, dragging her back to his ship. But Myta didn't hear him, she just stared longingly at the hole that was now her ships tomb.

Safely in hyperspace, Myta sat at the holochess board, shaking her head. Eder soon joined her, sitting at the navicomputer. "I'm sorry about your ship." He said after a few minutes of silence. She continued to shake her head silently, eyes watery. Eder sat next to her, putting his arm around her. She leaned against him, sniffling slightly. She was so young; the only thing she ever had was that ship. The one thing she could really call her own. "Hey, Myta, c'mon. We'll go and get you a new ship. My treat." He offered, smiling slightly at her. She smiled sadly and leaned her head against his chest. "No… but thank you. You saved my life." Eder stroked her hair lovingly. "It was nothing." He said. Trembling slightly, Myta snuggled herself closer to him, and for once, Eder truly felt good about himself. Maybe there was more to this galaxy…

Falet met the droids with his force pike, dodging blaster bolts and moving nimbly between them, piercing their casing with his force pike. He catapulted himself over the last of the dying droids, pulling free his force pike. Looking over the railing, he watched as three missile-launching droids made their way into the battle, targeting the new arrivals. "Ruwn! Missiles!" But Falet's voice couldn't penetrate the sound to the commander. Cutting loose a rope, he held it firmly and stepped onto the railing. Taking a deep breath, force pike at the ready, he launched himself towards them, right into the middle of the droid swarm. Falet threw his force pike into the launch tube, igniting the missile inside, causing it to explode. Finding footing on the heated metal, the Bothan pulled free his force pike, skipping over to the next droid. The force pike found the droid's AI unit and shattered it. Loosing his footing, Falet quickly tossed his force pike into the launch tube of the last droid. It jammed and the droid launched several missiles in response, missing their targets and launching in every direction.

Taru, Tem and Vion all fell to the floor as the explosion shook the entire building. "What the hell was that!" Taru growled, quickly getting up. "Your war droid missed its target." Tem snarled back. Vion dusted himself off and closed his eyes. "They will not be able to last longer." Tem and Taru soon returned to their upright positions. "How can you be so sure? The future is in constant motion, I cannot even predict the…" Taru silenced Tem with a wave of his hand. "We must continue onward, just in case they do prevail in defeating our mechanical warriors." Taru scolded the two of them, then spun on his heel and strode forward.

Energy cells littered the floor as Bothans emptied more and more of them. Their resources were being used faster than they could gain ground on the enemy droids. Ruwn was starting to get worried as he pulled out another used energy cell and quickly replaced it. Falet was still in the middle of the droid masses, and they couldn't get to him. He would've been killed sooner if the droids weren't so occupied. They didn't even notice the motionless Bothan on the ground. Ruwn quickly started forming several plans to rescue the brave little guy, but nothing would work. Dusty crates and machines covered by tarps were all over the hangar area, several brandishing scorch marks from stray blaster bolts. Metal gleamed in the light through one hole in the tarp, and he quickly ran to it. Pulling off the tarp, Ruwn found a mobile arsenal unit that was in fairly good condition. Covered in several weapon emplacements, it was usually used for patrolling units, meant for small conflicts. A policing unit, not a war machine. But right now, any advantage was one worth trying; besides, there was enough weaponry on this puppy to become a war machine. Hopping in the command seat, he activated all the systems, slowly rising as it came online. A grin formed on the Zabrak's lips as green lights met him. Finally, he had a plan.

Falet had recovered from the missile and small electrical shock, surrounded by droids. Rising, droids began to turn their attention to him, unable to attack either side at the moment, due to their position. Twirling his force pike, the Bothan swallowed visibly and leapt at them. Using stunning gymnastic skills, he knocked over, damaged, and even decapitated droids, until he landed on his knees, worn out from the effort. Droids surrounded him once again, aiming their blasters at him to finish him off. He was too tired to care about death; he was more worried about the loud noises coming from the entrance the police forces of Bothuwai burst through. Droids vanished in clouds of smoke and flame, debris raining down on them. Ruwn sat atop a large mechanical beast, blasting through droids with ease, clearing a way out for Falet, and a new trench for the other officers to fight through. A new strength forming in him, and a newfound respect for the Iridonian Commander, Falet pushed forward against the droids. The battle was far from over.

Zentrs sped through the prairies of Bothuwai, heading towards the Facility. Reaching a small crest, looking into a valley, one Zentr reared and her Zabrak rider looked at the building in the distance, smoking and still buzzing with activity as weapons went off. Diving over the edge, the Zentrs pressed onwards. Auwna stared unblinking at Facility as it burned before her, knowing Ruwn was in there fighting, and she needed to get to him. She was so desperate, she had even taken a Zentr as a means of transportation, which surprised even herself, but no speeder could match the massive canines speed. Large footsteps pounded metal floors as they entered the Facility from behind, squeezing down a corridor too small for the Zentr, but trying to get through anyway. She had to get to Ruwn; she wouldn't lose him like she lost Tem.

Taru looked out a viewport overlooking Bothuwai. A thin smile formed on his lips and he gestured for Vion to come closer. "We have some troublesome do-gooders arriving. I want you to handle them." A tickle at the back of Taru's neck caused him to add, "I want prisoners." Shaking his head, he then made things right in his mind by saying. "We will execute them all." Vion nodded and left Taru's company. Tem took his place, slumped down at Taru's side. "You're frightened." Taru sneered. "Of course I am! The reinforcements for those Valcuns are Jedi. They have stuck their nose in our business, and they must be dealt with. I want those new droids battle ready by the time we return to Anteid." Taru snarled at the younger man, who simply nodded. It was as if he was twice as old as Taru, sometimes. The way he walked about so elderly-like, so calm and cool, and disgusting. He shivered and slowly made his way for the roof. His shuttle would be leaving soon; he was no longer needed here.

Two Valcun troops stood behind metal crate barricades firing at a small group of heavily armored droids. "It's no use!" The human called to the Rodian. "They're going to get us! I'm on my last energy cell!" The Rodian pulled out his last energy cell and crammed it into the recently vacant slot. "So am I!" He honked back, swiveling his ears slightly. "Do you hear that?" He called, then a rush of air met them as three wild looking beasts leaped over them. Two lightsabers snapped to life and cut through the droids, as the lead continued running forward, plowing through the droids. "What the hell was that?" The Rodian honked to the human. The human simply smiled and leapt over the metal crates. "Reinforcements!"

They arrived in the middle of an enormous battle, fought in the only large place in the entire Facility, the hangar. Xio and Mande immediately launched themselves off their Zentrs and into battle, lightsabers blurring in motion, fighting back droids. Auwna continued to ride on, smashing through droids and firing from atop her mount with one of her dual blasters. The sound was deafening to Xio, and she tried to lose herself in battle, but she remained listening to every creak and groan in the droids around her. Using the Force, she suddenly called several joint pins to her, dropping them in front of her. Droids fell all around her, squirming on the floor trying to fire their blasters uselessly. Proud of herself, Xio fought more at ease than she should have. Missile-bearing droids marched out and she lost her concentration. She was unsure what to do, and nothing was coming to her. Finally, an impulse action triggered and she tossed her lightsaber, the auburn blade spinning wildly until it plunged into the droid, causing a small explosion. Another missile-bearing droid collapsed from the combined efforts of several Bothans, but the last was allowed to fire its projectiles, which screamed towards Xio. Panicking once again, she threw up a shield in the Force, causing the missiles to deflect in different directions. Auwna's Zentr reared and barked loudly, a missile blasting right into its stomach. The blast threw Auwna from the mount and sent her falling outside, rolling down a steep hill. There was nothing Xio could do for the Iridonian, so she continued to fight back the droids, pushing harder now than before.

Ruwn cried out in terror as the blast sent Auwna flying. He jumped from his seat in the mobile arsenal unit and ran through the battle, blasting droids in his way until he leapt outside and slid down the hill. He reached Auwna's motionless body and took her in his arms. "Auwna! Auwna! Please! Speak to me! Auwna! Wake up!" He cried, shaking her slightly, tears streaking down his face. "No! Auwna!" He leaned his forehead against hers, crying as the unbearable pain set in that he lost his only love. Holding her close, he swore he could feel her life fleeing her body. With the loss of the two people closest to him, how could he go on?

The tide of the battle turned once more, the sentient forces lost much of their coordination, with only two Jedi entrenched in the very depths. Droids began to take prisoners, easily knocking aside the Bothans, Weequay, Humans, Twi'leks, any species that would be subject to an excruciatingly painful execution. Vion watched, tingling with pleasure as their hope dwindled and despair remained. His muscles seemed to grow off of it. His eyes fell on the two Jedi, and he made his way towards them, igniting his red lightsabers. The young human girl was closest, and the weakest, judging by the Frozian's strength still blasting through droids. She had noticed him and was now in a defensive stance, deflecting nearby blaster bolts that streaked towards her. The three blades locked and split, almost instantly, then struck again. One blade fell silent and metal pinged against metal under the current of battle raging on. The young woman's lightsaber was gone, and she was now defenseless. She stood and lowered her head, shaking it slightly as she was fitted with stun cuffs. The Frozian only remained now, and he felt it would be less of a challenge than the human. The alien didn't even turn to face him; she remained her fight with the droids. "You were trained under Tem Marr, were you not?" She asked, calm and collected, straining only against the battle she fought before her. Vion was taken aback slightly. "Yes, I was." He answered truthfully. "Why is he doing this?" The Frozian asked next. "He's not, a man named Taru Tyenn is. Tem Marr is his lapdog. And I don't know why. I do my master's bidding." He responded again, truthfully. "But which master's orders would take priority?" She offered, letting Vion think that one through. Finishing the droids that were a threat around her, she deactivated her lightsaber and put her long, furry arms behind her back. "I surrender."

Dreary faces formed lines as they were forced onto transports by cold mechanical stares. Vion led Xio and Mande onto their own separate transport, and they were isolated from the rest of the group, sitting, waiting for their fate. "We have failed." Xio spoke distantly as she looked at her feet. "We have far from failed, Xio." Mande replied with a little more cheer and a small smile to comfort the woman. The human looked up at her and shook her head. "I would console you physically if I was capable." Mande added, tugging against her restraints slightly. Xio shook slightly with laughter. The Frozian's heart warmed at the sight. "We are to be executed, but a Jedi is always with a plan. At least," Mande mused, "I have a plan."

Ruwn was still with Auwna, crying until he couldn't squeeze anymore tears out of himself. Panic set in when droids arrived and he started pleading to them. "Please! You have to help her! She needs a medic! Please!" He begged uselessly. "This being has a twelve percent chance of survival. It will remain with the dead." The droids grabbed him roughly and slapped restraints on his wrists. A sudden emptiness set in on Ruwn, and he was alone. The Jedi were no where to be seen, in all the faces of the condemned, his best friend was presumed dead, or killing millions with a wave of his hand, and his love had her life stolen from her before his eyes. He saw himself from the outside, leaving his body to dwell in the mortal world, while his soul drifted into eternal darkness. Shoved into a transport full of Bothans, he found himself sitting next to Falet, who seemed happier just by his presence. "Hey there, you look like you took on a Krayt Dragon." The young Bothan said with a sarcastic grin, but Ruwn didn't respond. He didn't hear the words, didn't understand them. Nothing made sense now. The ride to the execution area was a short one, with it only being in a wide, duracrete wall being the only object visible from being on the ground. They were all forced out, a good three hundred beings all crowded together while a massing two thousand droids watched over them from all different places, waiting. Ruwn was at the front of the crowd and a droid spoke to him. "You are the Commander, you will stand against the wall and you will be shot. This is the only honor you deserve." It said, and turned to walk away, when a familiar voice spoke up. "You can kill me before him." Falet shouted, shouldering his way to stand in front of Ruwn. The droid turned around, trying to figure out what was going on. "No. You will not. The Iridonian will be killed first, by rank." The droid said. "Then you'll have no choice but to kill me first." He responded. A Valcun stepped forward this time, voice raised. "If you want to kill either of them, you'll have to kill me first!" More and more voices joined, Valcuns creating a perimeter around their high ranking officer and the stubborn Bothans willing to give one last fight before death. Ruwn's heart shivered slightly with emotion and he suddenly felt much worse than he had. They were willing to give their lives for him, even if he hadn't been able to help them. "No." Ruwn suddenly said, causing everyone to turn to face him. "I will die first." Falet's eyes turned pleading but Ruwn shook his head at him. "I'm sorry." He whispered to the Bothan and let a droid pull him to a clearing along the duracrete wall. A blaster pressed hard into his forehead and the droid's finger slowly clamped down on the trigger. Back at the Facility, Auwna still lay with the ruins and the dead, a soft wind blowing, being the only sound. Her eyes opened slowly and the distinct sound of a blaster shot was heard far in the distance.

Xio and Mande were lead onto a series of walkways over a gaping Sarlacc maw. Vion had their lightsabers attached to his belt, along side his own. Mande watched them swing and bounced off his body, realizing how similar the hilts were to Tem's old lightsaber. The three were separated and Vion watched down at them as they were forced onto a plank. Mande was forced roughly onto it by a droid, nudging her towards the edge. "May death bring rest to your soul, in only a short one thousand years." He mocked, waving his hand to the droids. "Put them in." Mande was nudged again and she slipped over the edge, catapulting backwards in a flip. She gathered the Force around her and shoved it outwards, causing the droids to fly across the gap into a small group of them. Her stun cuffs clattered to the deck and Xio soon joined her side, free of her own restraints. "What's next to this plan of yours?" She asked, looking up hopefully at the Frozian as a blaster bolt tore through air. "I'm not entirely sure. But we will fight them." Xio smirked slightly and nodded. "I always liked a fair fight."

The droids neck smoked where its head had been separated from its body. Ruwn stared slightly, following the line the blaster bolt had taken to reach the droid. A Firrereon was looking down a scope into the droids from his blaster rifle, taking their heads with precise shots. A fire erupted in Ruwn as he realized there was still a fight to be had, and he would do so in Auwna's honor. Grabbing the keys and the blaster from the droid, he freed himself and started freeing the others, talking all the while. "This is it! It's now or never! We've been given a second chance, let's show these droids who they're messing with!" Ruwn shouted and raised a blaster above his head, passing the keys into the crowd for distribution. Roars met him back and they charged the droids in a sea of skin and metal. This last stand would cost many their lives.

"Auwna, hold on. I'll take care of you." Myta said to the barely conscious Zabrak. She pulled free an adrenaline stimulant and rammed it into her arm. "Ow!" She cried out, shaking the fog out of her head. "What's going on? What happened?" Auwna asked groggily looking around. "Oh no. Ruwn! Where's Ruwn? What happened to him?" She started to get frantic, so Myta slapped her. "He's going to be executed if you don't get a hold of yourself." Auwna rubbed the side of her face where she had been slapped and nodded. "How do we get to him?" She asked with a sudden focus. "With some lovely Bothan ground buggies." Myta said, grinning and gestured to a heavy dispatch mobile. It was a vehicle that used wheels to travel, instead of relying on repulsorlifts to launch it along. "You're insane." The Zabrak accused her. "Pretty much. We're about to take on an execution party of two thousand, with only this little thing." Myta raised her eyebrows. Auwna looked between the Firrereon and the buggy. "Am I driving, or manning the gun?"

Sparks flew as the auburn blade burned through the metal body of yet another droid. The catwalks set up around the Sarlacc monster were intricately built around it, giving them lots of ground to work with, without fearing of slipping into the opened maw. Unfortunately, it gave the droids just as much ground to work with, as they set up a heavy repeating blaster on a railing. Xio made a leap up onto the next level above and clung to the railing, sliding under it and taking a defensive stance. Mande was below, working her way towards Vion, who, from the storm of energy in the Force, was very angry. Xio had to clear away these distractions for Mande though, so that when she did confront the Falleen, she could stay focused on the one battle.

The drive to the execution area on the outskirts of the city was excruciatingly bumpy, as the vehicle tore through the terrain. Auwna gripped the controls to the turret as if her very life depended on it; she suddenly didn't feel safe riding in a terrain vehicle. She was lifted from her seat as they launched over another bump, but her restraints caught her. She turned the turret around and watched as they neared a duracrete wall. "Are they on the other side of that wall?" Auwna shouted down into the main body of the vehicle, where Myta was driving. "Yep." The Firrereon's voice floated back, barely audible over the sounds the buggy was making. They continued towards the wall, it towered above them, yet Myta remained on course. "Aren't you going to go around the wall?" She shouted again. "Nope!" Myta said and Auwna could imagine the smug look on her face as she pushed the accelerator down. "Oh frag!" Auwna shrieked and clung to the controls as the buggy tore right through the duracrete wall, taking a lot of damage to itself in the process. The reckless move by the younger woman wasn't in vain, though. As duracrete blocks rained down on the droids there, they didn't have a chance to see the buggy crush them under the heavy treaded wheels. Heaving the turret around, the Zabrak opened fire on the droids around them not being mercilessly crushed under the gargantuan machine.

The sun started to set, as an orange color filled the sky. Black smoke rose from the battlefield as flaming droid bodies burned, leaked, gassed, or sparked their last moments of artificial life. Not only the mechanical ones were destroyed, though. Many organic life forms died at the hands of their droid captors, and were now being gathered. No Bothan body lay far from the body of a brave Valcun trooper, their respect had been earned that day. Falet saluted Ruwn, as did he salute the Bothan. Even with all that was lost today, Ruwn walked away with a new friend. "We can take care of things from here, Falet. I'd like to ask a favor, though." Ruwn said, as they walked the charred battlefield. "Absolutely, Commander." Falet responded dutifully. "I need the last of the Valcuns here to be taken back to the Facility and gotten ready for launch. Tell them Admiral Auwna Wenz orders they make way for Coruscant." Ruwn ordered, to which the Bothan nodded in agreement. "Very good. Thank you, sir." With business settled, Ruwn quickly dropped the formalities and turned towards the dust-covered buggy parked in the middle of the battlefield. "Auwna!" He shouted, as the familiar face of his love materialized from out of the buggy. "Ruwn!" She cried back, and started scrambling out of the buggy, leaping at him. He caught her, but couldn't maintain his balance and they both crashed to the ground. They laughed and talked simultaneously as each told their perspective at what had just taken place. Eder and Myta embraced not far from them and spoke softly. Myta soon came up to the two Iridonians sprawled on the ground, talking frantically to each other. "Sorry to break up this happy little reunion, but Xio and Mande still need our help."

Mande and Vion clashed blades for, what seemed like, hours. Muscle fatigue and focus was deteriorating, as the Frozian had to fight off the ravenous attacks of a Sith and the flurry of blaster bolts that rained down on them from a mounted turret. Xio was trying to help her, but was having troubles of her own, caught off guard by a small group of droids, which seemed to grow rather than diminish. Mande began to develop a desperation move to buy herself some time and launched it into action. Locking her blade with that of Vion's, she ducked away from the swipe of his second lightsaber, which cut deeply into the guard railing, but did not sever it. In a defensive move, Vion used both his lightsabers to block a downward swipe from Mande, but she simply used it to her advantage. Forcing all three lightsaber blades against the railing, it burned through a good deal of it, nearly severing it. With a well thought out kick, Mande forced Vion against the weakened railing, which broke under his weight and sent him falling to the platform below. Spinning her lightsaber around, she caught the next several groups of blaster bolts as they now came more steadily. Catching a blaster bolt just right, she deflected it back into the head of the droid firing on her. A loud crash brought Mande's attention to Xio as she freed part of the platform from its supports. This caused it to crash down and she swung behind the fallen piece, which was now slanted at an approximate angle of seventy decrees, using it as a shield against the onslaught of blaster bolts. A wisp of black robes caught Mande's attention but it was too late. The Dark Jedi swung up from behind and kicked her over the guard railing. He followed her over; both lightsabers moving ready to separate her head from her shoulders. Mande knew that once they hit the platform below, he would be able to deliver the killing blow. Her mind failed her and she was ready to die. She hit the deck, landing on her feet and hands, staring up as Vion slowly filled the space between them, lightsabers singing the fur at her neck. Moving lightning quick, her foot came up and kicked him in the stomach then heaved him over the railing, over the maw of the Sarlacc, which squealed and reached with its tendrils for the Falleen morsel. She didn't bother to watch him die; she would honor him that much. She turned into the barrel of one of four HWSDs, whirring as their weapons powered up to full strength. Bowing her head, she surrendered. Vion leapt back onto their platform and laughed diabolically. "How dare you think you could defeat me with such simple tactics. I shouldn't have expected better of a Jedi." He snarled. "You have the tint of Tem Marr. You may not realize this, but you are more a Jedi than you believe." Mande countered. Vion sneered. "I obeyed Master Taru's training and did as Master Tem taught me; They were ways of the Sith." _So Tem is still alive…_ Mande thought to herself, then formulated her response. "Who is this Master Taru?" Mande asked cautiously. "I've never heard of him." The Falleen let out a bitter laugh. "Those who have, are usually dead by his blade." She tried to think of where she had heard the name Taru Tyenn before. In a story, another civilizations lore, a poem, a log, a holocron, anything. But nothing came, and Mande remained lost. "I used to be friends with Tem Marr. How is he?" Vion seemed to soften. "He is well, for the most part. He has lost the use of one of his arms, but is strong." Mande nodded distantly. "That is good. It has been awhile since I last saw him. It is good to know he is well." Curiosity burned at her mind, and she pushed her luck. "Do you know how Taru Tyenn came to join up with Tem Marr?" Vion looked at her, angered, yet his mind was tinted with confusion. "No, I don't. But he possesses great power, to meet his dark will." He said, then stalked off. "Take her away."

Xio rolled her eyes as her metal shield heated and vibrated from repeatedly being shot. This was ridiculous, she couldn't move at all. Another series of shots rocked the walkway and it started to give way. Instead of dying by blaster fire, she could be crushed to death by flooring. No wonder Taru was so easily unchallenged, any competition was blown away before they could even do anything about him. Grinding her teeth, Xio made a run down the walkway, followed by blaster fire. Swinging her lightsaber behind her, she flung stray blaster bolts that threatened her back at them. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as they slowly stopped firing as she reached some cover from them. With a triumphant grin, she ran straight into a HWSD, heavy repeaters spinning threateningly. Stumbling back, Xio fell and crawled backwards, lightsaber under one pointed leg of the HWSD. It seemed to straighten up, as if puffing up with pride; the whirring of gears clicking into place as it armed itself. As power surged and the heavy repeaters began spinning again, it exploded into several pieces, torn apart by a particle cannon. Looking over the edge, driving on the outskirts of the framework structure, two buggies were patrolling in circles, firing in on the droids. Auwna came out of a hatch, looking out at them with electrobinoculars. Waving to them, the Iridonian waved back, and ducked back inside. The buggy turned sharply and rolled up on two of its wheels, circling around to meet her. Calling her lightsaber to hand, she started the run to the end of the platform, deftly cutting away the safety railing, and hurling herself over the edge. She seemed to hang suspended in air, as she floated down towards the ground. With a whining sound, the buggy filled the space beneath her and she slammed into its body hard. "Ow." She wheezed, regaining her breath. She squinted against the rushing wind up into the framework to see if she could see Mande, but it was in vain. There was no sign of the Frozian, only the battle of droids against the two buggies. Reaching out, she found her companion's life force near the center of the structure. There was no way they could get to her. She would have to come to them.

"I can feel the torment within you, Vion. You do not have to follow Taru!" Mande begged, but Vion remained strong willed. "I will not betray my master." He said solemnly. "Which one?" Mande sneered, calling her lightsaber to her and bolting away from the group; quickened by the Force. Vion stood there, the droids looking to him for command. "Lord Vion?" Defor asked cautiously. _Which one?_ The question burned in his mind. "What does your heart tell you?" He murmured more to himself than as an order to the droid. Defor was silent for a moment, but answered. "I do not have a heart, my lord, but my circuits tell me that it is time we have freed Master Marr." He replied slowly, as if he himself were human. Afraid to say what might upset Vion, but standing up for the right which he believed. Vion nodded slowly. "How do you suggest we go about such a radical plan, droid?" He asked, looking up and facing the droid. Defor could not move his face, but his tone was evidence enough to what he would have done with facial movements. "We betray Master Tyenn."

The ride to Coruscant was a long one. They had all been crammed aboard Eder's ship, which Mande would explain how confined it was, each time she bumped her head against the ceiling. Ruwn silently gripped Auwna's hand, squeezing gently for reassurance. Xio and Mande meditated to pass the time, and Eder and Myta were locked up in the cockpit. Auwna smiled inwardly, this was the most quiet she had ever known since she joined the Valcuns. Of course, thinking of the Valcun's brought memories of Tem. She couldn't help it. He made life even more interesting, and actually brought challenge to her. The two most prosperous students were now combating each other. Life and death had not been an issue in the Facility on Anteid, but now, it was everything. One slip, one stray blaster bolt, one mistake could cause her to lose her life. She had seen many friends and colleagues killed in this endeavor, her heart weighted by sorrow. _Second; do not hesitate, even for a second, to fire the last shot._ The old warning hovered back into Auwna's mind. What had he meant by that? She often lay awake at night thinking it was the battle on Heleska, hesitating to fire her missiles into the power station. But that would have killed Tem… and what ever had walked out with him. It didn't feel right, though. As if she was meant to not fire and destroy the power station completely, which hers and Myta's shots would have accomplished, had they not received news of Tem being inside. She couldn't ask him now, either. All be damned, they should be in this situation. Sometimes, Auwna couldn't help but be mad at him. As if everything in life, he knew, as if he could see clear into the future, and all he could do was _yawn_. The rage bubbled further in Auwna, and she started to tremble. A door hissed open and she jumped, scaring Ruwn, causing him to jump and scream in sudden terror. With the brief moment of silent judgment towards Ruwn passing quickly, Myta began to speak. "I broke into the Facility on Anteid. It was nearly deserted, save for a small collection of droid patrols. They're mobilizing." She said, looking at each of them. "On a terminal, I found plans for an attack on Luath." She revealed a data disk and slipped into a nearby player. A projection of Luath floated before them, with a detailed space station hovering around it. Ships slowly materialized all over the orbital drifts, a formation only recognizable to Auwna. "He's using the Ophilian Tactic." She spoke up, standing and walking over to the hologram. "He's made changes. Very… good… changes." Auwna said, circling the hologram. "He could hold Luath as long as he wants to, and destroy it just as easily." She murmured, focusing on the green orb in front of her. "They won't stand a chance…" Xio cleared her throat slightly. "But we can warn them." She ordered, causing Auwna to clench her teeth slightly. "Myta, tell Eder to set a course for Luath."

Another lightsaber burn appeared on his flesh as Vion received his punishment by the hand of Taru. "They escaped!" He said, delivering another blow to the Falleen. "You didn't kill them!" He growled, kicking the falling being in the gut. "Incompetent worm!" He roared, slamming Vion back against the bulkhead with the Force. Panting from the use of his voice, over the physical endurance he had just done upon Vion, he turned and left the room. Defor stepped out of the shadows, along with Tem and the other HWSDs. Vion looked up at them, wiping blood from his mouth. "Master Marr, I must leave this place. I wish to save you, yet I cannot alone." He coughed up more blood, just short of Tem's feet. Tem remained emotionless, as hard-faced as the droids surrounding him. "Go to Luath. They need you." Tem said, seeming to smile slightly. He offered his hand to the Falleen, who accepted the gesture, and got to his feet. "Thank you, Master." Vion bowed deeply. "I will return for you, some day, I will free you." Tem nodded his head, almost wearily. "Thank you, Vion. But go, if Taru senses you leaving the ship, he will shoot you out of the sky. I will delay that as long as I can." The two stood there for a moment, and then Vion left, trying to hide the sudden wave of sadness that was now consuming him. Through all that he had heard that Tem Marr had gone through… Clenching his jaw and quickening his step, Vion quickly left _Reason For Doubt_, to save Tem; he needed to get some help. Setting a course for Luath, his ship vanished into hyperspace.

It was Mande and Eder's first time witnessing the beauty of Luath, while the others had already walked its surface. As Mande tried to press close to the viewport, while not injuring herself from the awkward position she had assumed, Eder took in the planet without blinking. Xio could feel Mande's energy sparking with whole new stimulation from the planet below. "Incoming vessel, state your name and business on Luath." It took Eder a moment and a nudge from Myta, to realize that they were being hailed. "Oh, um, this is the _Forsaken Scar_, and we wish to see Governor Chupa immediately." He spoke into the comm and waited for a response. "By what political grounds must you speak to Governor Chupa?" The voice asked. Auwna broke in before Eder could respond. "This is High Commander Auwna Wenz, a personal acquaintance of Tem Marr. We must speak to Governor Chupa of his conditions immediately." Auwna lied. "The Tem Marr? I'm sorry, madam, but it is my duty to ask these questions. Continue on your course."

Luath was a sea of life, and Vion seemed so out of place. Brought up in the Force in such a dark light, the galaxy didn't seem so bad now. His senses tingled and it was pure bliss, walking barefoot through the lush grasses. The wind softly caressed his face, like a gentle lover. Here, the voices of all living things filled his mind. The Bwoeps, the Dushnids, the wild Cheedubs, everything had a voice. Vion now gazed upon a new light of the Force. One thought constantly remained, though. The Frozian on Bothuwai. She had radiated the same calm and vast intelligence that oozed from the ground beneath his feet. Perhaps he had always been fighting for the wrong side, and he had lost sight of what he had hoped to become so long ago. As if triggered by his thoughts, his new wounds burned with pain, and he began his long walk toward the city.

Mande was finally home. At least, that is what her senses told her. She belonged here, yet never seemed to have ever actually been to this world. It was a wonderful sensation, as if she were coming back from a long assignment back to the Temple, except… without any weight, it seemed. As if she could come here and melt into the trees and the grasses, mingle with the people. Something prickled her, and she looked off into the distance, crinkling her nose. The Falleen was here. No longer enjoying her sudden good mood, she focused at the task at hand. There could be several reasons why Vion had come, but judging from what she sensed, she could breathe easy. He had not been totally consumed by darkness, and it was Taru's mistake for choosing to train someone so old. With a slight smile, she followed the others into an air taxi. "Luath's changed since the last time we've been here." Xio said. "_I've_ never been here to begin with." Eder pointed out. "Neither has Mande." Myta added. Auwna cleared her throat and motioned for them to keep quiet. Pulling a small mirror out of a pocket, she gazed into it, pretending to adjust her hair around her horns. Satisfied with her appearance, she tucked the mirror back into the pocket at which it had originated. "Driver, we'll walk from here. This is getting rather price-y." She said. The driver and everyone else looked at her, as the meter in the front clicked and turned to five credits. The driver did as he was told and landed off the street. "All rightay, that'll be fivem crediets." He said with a heavy accent, or a normal accent, Mande pondered. Auwna signaled for them to get out, slipping the driver a one hundred credit note as she disembarked. She waited until the driver was far enough away before speaking. "We were being followed." She said, walking the opposite way to the government offices. "What?" Xio and Myta exclaimed. Eder didn't seem all too surprised, and Mande wasn't sure if being stalked for using Tem Marr's name was abnormal or not. Ruwn just stayed quiet and looked around. "The city isn't safe." Mande said. "I'll rent some landspeeders." Ruwn said. "We've got only one place to go."

The two landspeeders pulled up to an empty, deserted village. Obvious signs of aging and inactivity marked everything not natural about the land. The path was overgrown, with some growth on the buildings as well. Rubble remained of one housing unit, and old cylindrical containers rusted and seemed dirty. "Home, sweet home." Ruwn cheerfully piped, pulling his pack over his shoulder. "What a dump." Eder grumbled, pulling his own pack free. "This is where we stayed a year ago." Myta said distantly. Xio didn't even want to think about the things that had transpired here, but it was obvious that those thoughts would not remain buried. Mande looked around, almost anxiously, as if expecting something terrible to happen. Auwna seemed just as distant as Xio, but her stern, military-trained expression remained cold and unreadable. There was a rustling and half a dozen blasters, and two lightsabers, were suddenly ready in hand. A Canta rose from the bush and walked forward. "Where Tem?" It demanded. Xio recognized who it was immediately. "Tupag!" She shouted, putting her lightsaber back on her belt and going up to the Canta. "Do you remember me, Tupag? The human who use magic? Remember? I was with Tem on Canaltha before it went into the Void." Tupag looked down with her, slight pain in his eyes. With a small smile, he placed his hand on her head, enveloping it without even trying to. "Tupag remember magic by Xio clan Mara." Xio smiled up at the big alien, while the others put their weapons away. "You come last time, to Luath. Youpa, ey youpa, ey youpa, ey youpa. Des never see youpa or youpa." He said, regarding each of them. "But Tem of clan Marr is not here." He said finally, resting his gaze on Xio. "That is what we have come about, Tupag. Tem… he is no longer who he once was." She felt bad, having to bring this news to the Canta. "But he is coming to destroy Luath."

Vion watched silently from the foliage around the village. He remained silent, unmoving and always watching, as the group started to make themselves at home and decide their next move. As dusk fell, a small fire was erected and stretched long shadows across the barren ground. He would make his move when they all were asleep.

With no ground gained from the hours spent with the Canta, they had only learned that, without Tem, they were now considered dangerous. As they had so long ago, they used the small buildings to take shelter, Xio and Mande each took one for themselves, as did Tupag, while Myta and Eder, and Ruwn and Auwna shared one each respectively. Mande could not help but let her thoughts dwell on Tem. What would have caused him to become what he had become? Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a datapad that activated at her touch and scrolled various messages across. Keying in her code, she was able to access the entire Archives. Taru Tyenn seemed a threat to the Council, but she had never known why. Maybe the Archives held something that would shed some light on it all.

ACCESSING INFORMATION…

… … …  
SEARCH RESULTS FOR TARU TYENN

NOW AVAILABLE

"Korriban is a desolate world. The air burns my nostrils, and the dark side beckons to me at every turn. This is a place of true evil. A remnant of the Sith's once great power. We have already lost so many. This cult… They are more organized, more structured, than we had anticipated. Their leader, one Taru Tyenn, a claimed pure Sith, is a valiant opponent. They have reduced our numbers using the tombs to set their booby traps. We have to leave this place! They're ambushing us! RUN! Get back to the ship!"

MESSAGE RETRIEVED BY YAHRA NAL'TAI, RECORDING BY JEDI MASTER MUUN YUN.

NO FURTHER INFORMATION.

Tears streamed down her face as she listened to the recording. Mande was only a Padawan at that time, but she remembered the sorrow that weighed heavy upon the Jedi who had survived. Master Muun Yun had not returned. Cross-referencing the story, she found more and more articles, building her story of Taru Tyenn. Mande determined that Taru Tyenn had been, with the rest of the cult on Korriban, destroyed when Master Muun created a powerful Force storm. A dark side technique filled with unspeakable destructive capabilities. No one was claimed to have survived who was a potent Force-user. Taru Tyenn had never been heard from again. Putting the datapad away, she dwelled on this even longer. So many questions burned in her mind, and it made it difficult to sleep. The door to her hut suddenly opened and she fell motionless. Barely audible footsteps could be heard as bare feet smacked gently against the floor. Reaching for her lightsaber with the Force, Mande began to let her arm slip down the side of her cot. The lightsaber rolled into her waiting palm and she jumped out at the culprit. Her blade locked with two more, the glow of the blades illuminating Vion's face. "I have come to speak with you. Please do not kill me, for I mean you no harm." He bowed his head and deactivated his lightsabers, making sure he was clear of hers. "You have a suspicious way of coming to speak with one." Mande accused, lightsaber still activated. "While my time in the company of Auwna Wenz was extensive, I believe she would be one, to say, 'jump the gun'. You, however, could have killed me on Bothuwai, instead of running you could have easily decapitated me. But you didn't, and not out of Jedi mercy." He replied evenly. Mande lowered her lightsaber, deactivating it, and placed it on the cot. "What do you have to say?" She demanded after a rather awkward silence. "I know Taru's plan for the attack on Luath without error. I was to lead the droid armies. I can help you stop them." Vion explained. Mande narrowed her eyes. "How can we trust you?" Vion seemed slightly dejected at this. "You have no base to trust me." He clenched his hands into fists, unsure of what else to say, or do. Tupag was now in the doorway. He looked down at the Falleen, and the Falleen returned the gaze. "I trust you."

Vion regarded the being squarely, his insides knotted and he felt himself relaxing considerably. "You… trust me? But… you do not know of my deeds or past mistakes." The Canta smiled broadly. "Call it Canta intuition. Tem ain't Canta, he help Canta though. You smell like Tem, and you want help Canta, just like Tem. I trust you." He further emphasized this by placing a large palm that took up more than Vion's shoulder was large. A small smile formed on the Falleen's face. "Thank you." He said, struggling to maintain control over his voice. "Come, we get food and bed for you. Sleep tight, wake up and plan tomorrow." Tupag said, leading Vion out. As he departed the hut, he felt the Frozian mentally probing him. While the trust of the Canta was assured, it may take a bit more work to convince the others.

"Scream, little girl. Call for help, nobody's coming for you." One of the muggers who was raping her mocked. "Scream, scream long and loud. I like it when they scream." Another would say, stroking her neck. Auwna's voice failed her and she couldn't speak. She struggled hard against them, but it was to no avail, they still managed to do what they intended to her. She couldn't watch, but she felt all the groping, the pain and humiliation of it all. When she opened her eyes again, she was still being molested, but in the corner, Jedi watched. Not doing anything, just watching these horrible things happen to her. The hoods of their robes hid their faces, but she could feel their eyes. Pain arched through her and she cried out. One of the Jedi stepped forward, and pulled away their hood. Tem's face was there, emotionless and dead. "This is what you failed to see." He told her, then mouthed the words _Wake up_.

Jerking awake, she bolted up right in her cot, drenched in sweat and burning had ended up on the floor, probably from her thrashing, yet he remained sound asleep. She reassured herself of her surroundings, then hugged her knees to her chest. Why was this happening? The dreams were more and more frequent then. Each of them, Tem spoke to her, and she couldn't help but start to feel guilty for her blaming of the Jedi what happened. She couldn't hate Tem. She couldn't! He was like a brother to her, but he was a Jedi, and her dreams kept indicating that he, just like the Jedi, would neglect the true needs of people, the people who really needed saving. Auwna was in tears now, the idea of Tem turning on her like that, watching her get raped, and not doing anything about it. As if he were the one who arranged the entire thing, torturing her for her sins. Her vision blurred and she could hear herself sobbing. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. A movement caught her eye and a blurred figure was there, arms open in a threatening manner. Baring her teeth she shrieked and threw a punch at where there nose would be. Her fist connected and Ruwn's familiar voice cried out in pain. Her lips trembled and she leaned over to look on the floor. Ruwn had his hands covering his nose, and cursing profusely. Blood seeped between his fingers and his voice cracked. "Oh Ruwn, I'm so sorry." Auwna suddenly felt tears burning in the corner of her eyes again. She slipped down onto the floor next to him and pulled him into her arms. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that, are you all right?" She pleaded and looked at him. "I think you broke my nose, sweetheart." He said, his voice changing by a few octaves. Quickly searching through a pack, Auwna managed to find a medpac and used the gauze bandages to absorb the blood from Ruwn's nose. It wasn't broken, thankfully, her knuckle had just hit it hard enough to damage some blood vessels, but she had made more contact with his cheekbone, which was now bruised just under his eye. "You had one of those dreams again, didn't you?" Ruwn accused her, when they finally got their bearings straightened out. She nodded timidly, her courage, strength and stern will now gone, leaving her as the child she had been on that space liner, knowing little of the cruelties of the galaxy. "Tem was in this one, too." She murmured. He smiled slightly at her. "You want to know why I think he's showing up in your dreams?" He asked, though he was going to answer anyway. "You miss him. So do I. I mean, you two were a lot closer than I was with him. I was, and probably still am, a bit insecure about you and him. He's a great guy, and cross-species relationships aren't such a big deal…" He said, smiling a bit broader. Auwna smiled slightly and thumped him gently in the side. "Everyday on Anteid in that Facility, I wondered why you chose me, especially when I couldn't even compare to what Tem was doing. But you two have always been going in different directions. And maybe, just maybe, he's been trying to show you a better one than you chose." He shrugged slightly, discarding the blood-soaked gauze and checking his nose for anymore traces of blood. "How do I look?" He asked, grinning stupidly. Auwna just stared at him for a moment, then lunged at him, kissing him as passionately as she could muster. They spent the rest of their night on the floor. It happened to be a good thing that sound didn't carry well across the small village to the other huts.

The next morning was a hostile one for Vion. While the Canta had stayed awake with him through the night, talking about his home on Canaltha and the exploits of clan Marr, Vion had picked up Canalthian, and was almost able to speak it fluently. When Mande joined the two they ceased their conversation and greeted her. Vion couldn't help but feel apprehensive. He was the bad guy, here, and yet, these two beings, which had no reason to trust him at all, were in pleasant conversation with him. They were relaxed, and he still had his two lightsabers attached to his belt. While the Frozian and the Canta spoke, Vion looked at his hands; they were clean, for the most part. Trace amounts of dirt was there, but all he could see was the blood he had spilt. He set his trembling hands on his lap, and mustered a smile. He had been given a second chance, and he would not abuse it. Two Firrereon were next to join the group, conversation now a loud, playful affair. Vion could feel the affection between the two, yet something held the female back. It seemed trace to what Tem would allow through when he was alone and his whole mind filled the ship. They seemed cautious, to sit down, staring at Vion. He smiled kindly at them, but they continued to stare. "Is there something wrong?" He and Mande asked simultaneously. "Wasn't he the one who was trying to kill us all on Bothuwai?" The male said, the female seemed to squint slightly at him. "Looks like the one." She said. "The apprentice of Tem, and the minion of Taru Tyenn." Mande said blandly, as if it were of no concern. "He is here to help us." The female seemed comprehensive and taken aback, but the male just kind of smirked. "I'm Eder, pal." He held out his hand and Vion looked at it. "Vion." He replied, taking the Firrereo's hand. "Myta." The female said, nodding her head, but she was suddenly distant. Vion smiled pleasantly, but did not say anything. "What the hell?" Auwna's familiar voice shouted, blaster drawn. "You have a lot of nerve, Vion. Trying to kill us, then trying to make us all chummy then kill us?" Vion stood, unaffected by the blaster's threat. "I could ask the same about you. Why didn't anyone come back to Anteid? Why didn't they come to save the survivors!" He shouted at her, and her blaster arm trembled. Ruwn was there too and Vion's gaze fell on him. "Do you know?" He asked. Ruwn swallowed. "Vion… I… I don't know. We figured everyone was dead. The droids were merciless that day. We didn't think anyone was alive, honest." He pleaded. "…You didn't help your case either… Slaughtering everyone on Duro? What else were we going to think happened on Anteid? That some had somehow managed to survive, when Duro fell completely and utterly. Not a living being among the dead?" Auwna growled. A human female arrived now; her eyes fell on Vion. "Mande?" She said, not looking away from Vion. "Yes, Xio?" The Frozian replied, standing up. "We have company."

"They have found us." Tupag said, to Vion. "Who?" He asked, unsure. "Chupa's bodyguards. They have been hunting me for a very long time, but I have eluded their attacks for almost as long. I thought it was safe enough to safely watch over the others while they hid and planned their next move." The Canta explained. Vion nodded in understanding. Mande and Xio ignited their lightsabers; five Canta riding big canine like beasts raced their way here. "Zentral." Tupag whispered suddenly, as if reading Vion's mind. "Much like the Zentrs, except much more evolved, and deadly. They are a mockery of the true Zentrs, once proud past." He said, gesturing at them. "They are going to plow through the village and kill us all." Blaster bolts raced out to meet Xio and Mande's lightsabers, as Myta, Eder, Ruwn, and Auwna ducked into a hut for shelter. "Do you think they will forgive me, Tupag?" Vion suddenly asked. The Canta looked down at him, then nodded. "Do what you must, Vion. You are brave like Tem, he has taught you well." The Canta lumbered over to the shelter, avoiding stray blaster bolts, as Vion moved closer to the two Jedi. "I'm sorry I have to do this!" He shouted to be heard, thunderous, pounding feet drawing closer. The two Jedi looked at him, slightly worried, as his two blood red blades burst to life. "No!" Auwna shouted from the hut, but it was too late. Lifting the two Jedi in front of him with the Force, he tossed them into the shelter with the others, knocking them back and sealing the door. It was time he proved himself to them. He walked straight into the line of fire, walking as he did on Duro; blaster bolts burned through his robes yet never once touched him. The Zentral riders swung away from the village, encircling him, making loud, mocking noises. _Distraction loses focus, show those who try to distract you how focused you are._ Clenching his teeth, Vion lunged, twirling his lightsabers expertly in his hands, decapitating the Zentral and impaling the rider as the beast fell. One Zentral tried to use its large tusks to stab at Vion, but he was too well trained for that. Ivory chunks fell to the ground, and the beast cried out in pain, riding away, but not out of the battle. Two Zentral attacked him at once, giving him no room to escape, or try and fight back. So he scaled their sides and decapitated their mounts, then penetrating his lightsabers into the Zentrals spines. The tusk-less Zentral was riding back to the fight, but there remained one more closer to him. Staring down the rider, Vion unleashed a Force storm on the rider and beast, dismembering them quickly. Now the last Zentral had caught up, maw gaping wide, ready to swallow Vion whole, he side stepped and held his lightsaber out, as the Zentral rode forward, dissecting itself in half. With a thud, death was all that remained, save for his new allies, as they watched the last few moments of battle, and the lone Canta rider. Tupag quickly restrained him and began interrogating him. Heaving a sigh, and wiping sweat from his forehead, Vion grinned triumphantly at the others. They no longer feared him as an opponent, but they would now be full of awful images of what he could do to them, or anything else living in this galaxy. _At least_, he mused; _it's better than being beaten for not getting my footing right during that battle._

They marched into the capital city boldly that day, Vion leading the way, Tupag close by his side, and Myta falling to the back of the group. Looks were given as they walked on, whispers of Tupag's name and confusion filled the air. They went straight to the townhouse, where they figured Chupa would be delegating business over Luath. Vion used the Force to burst open the doors with such force; they cracked slightly, doing a good deal of damage to the wall. Chupa looked up; the two bodyguards present took arms immediately, with blasters. Tupag growled under his breath slightly and froze; Vion did likewise but slammed the two guards against the wall. "Tupag! What is the meaning of this?" Chupa snarled bitterly. Tupag remained even faced. "We come with a proclamation of war…" He was cut off from continuing by Chupa. "You, are declaring war on Luath? Ha! You and what army?" Vion pinned the desk to a wall, trapping Chupa between it. "Mine." He snarled at the politician. "If you fail to take this seriously, Chupa, I will take into account our promise to Tem. Our promise to maintain Luath as a planet beyond that of Canaltha's. If you neglect this threat, I will relinquish your power. None will be able to argue with this." Tupag reminded Chupa, tossing a data disk onto the desk. Chupa looked at it, tears filling his eyes. He reached into his garbs and pulled out a similar data disk and lowered it on the desk. "A promise…" Chupa said slowly, "That I should have never agreed to!" He suddenly swiped the two data disks and crushed them in his hands. Everyone gasped, save for Vion and Tupag, and the now enraged Chupa. "Then that is how it will be." Tupag said, Vion pinning Chupa against the wall more securely as Tupag emptied a small bag of several data disk. "I am not a fool, Chupa. I made copies, all identical to the original." Vion couldn't help but grin. "By the law of Luath," Tupag said, "By the law of Tem Marr," Vion added, "And by the act of the Jedi Order," Mande said suddenly, causing the female human to regard her skeptically. "You are under arrest." Tupag finished. "I will take care of him, Governor." Vion said to Tupag, nodding his head and vanishing with Chupa.

"We must build our defenses, but how?" Tupag asked, looking over a map of Luath. "The orbital station." Eder pointed out. "Dot the thing with some deactivated turrets, won't even know they're there. Then, wham! You catch nearby ships off guard and tear through their shields, without a hitch." He said, grinding his fist into his open palm for emphasis. When everyone simply regarded him with a blank stare, he laughed sheepishly and fell silent. "That could work, but it puts the station at risk. She's just an orbital station, not a battleship. Her plating isn't thick enough to handle a counter-strike." Myta pointed out. Tupag nodded. "It is like a museum of Canaltha for those who remember it. I do not wish to see it destroyed." Silence once again fell over the map room, until someone entered. "Father!" Everyone looked to see Valia, Tupag's daughter come in. "Valia, my dearest." Tupag said warmly, and embraced the slightly smaller Canta in a hug. They were all introduced to Valia, until it came to Vion. "This is Vion." Tupag said simply, and Valia crinkled her nose. She whispered something to her father and he nodded his head. "It is an honor, Master Vion. I hope we can work together some time." She said sincerely. Illist walked in next, again introduced to all, who hadn't met her and Vion, was once again saved for last. The two stared at each other for a moment before saying anything. "Hello… Vion… A pleasure to meet you." She said. He bowed deeply to her. "The pleasure is all mine." He replied, almost flirtatiously. Beneath Mande's cool surface something bubbled there, but she dared not let it seep any farther than it had been at. The two seemed entranced with each other, and spent the remainder of the meeting next to each other. "We must gather ground troops. Taru does not waste time in space, unless it is absolutely necessary. His Ophilian Tactic has one major flaw, and that is the allowance of craft to be continued to be launched from carrier ships. These carrier ships are usually painfully weak and easily destroyed. This, also, means that we can attack from the belly. He will not be expecting it, especially when he thinks Luath is so poorly undefended." Vion informed. Tupag, Valia and Illist both looked at one another, grimacing. "Vion," Illist said, "It is poorly undefended. We have no anti-air guns, no shield generators, no anything. The best we have is Lunar squadron." Illist murmured, looking down at her feet. Vion regarded her, then Tupag and Valia. "No. No!" Vion shouted, slamming his fist against the table, causing the three dimensional map to flicker. Everyone backed away slightly, electricity sparking from Vion and he heaved a sigh. "There must be _something_. I will not let Luath fall." He looked up at them, pained to his very core. "I will not let this planet fall, not while I have a breath in my body." Illist put a hand on his back and rubbed gently. "We will all defend it with our lives, but we can't expect to win." Mande watched the two for a second, before turning away. "Mande? Where are you going?" Xio asked. "I wish to clear my head, this room is much too stuffy. Luath has a very addicting presence." She said, and left the room. "Perhaps we all need a moment to think." Tupag suggested. "Go, enjoy the city. We will meet here again for dinner."

Xio looked into a window at the clothing for sale in one shop. Vion's reflection in the glass came up beside her. "I did not get your name, but we do not need introduction for me to know who you are." Xio turned to face him. "What do you mean by that?" She asked. Vion seemed to smile. "You miss him, don't you?" Xio cocked her eyebrow slowly. "Who?" Vion nodded his head. "Tem thinks of you often. He misses you greatly." Her heart stopped beating for a second. "Tem?" He nodded again. "Yes. He believes your dead, but I don't know why. He will stare out into the stars, and just let his memories of you fill his mind. I have seen them, they are very heart-warming." Vion said, emotionlessly, starting to walk away. Xio followed him. "Has he ever spoken to you about me?" Vion stopped and contemplated this for a moment. "Once. He was upset with himself, and very lonely. We never truly speak, he just takes care of me after Taru beats me." He said, continuing on again. "Oh… What did he say?" Closing his eyes, Vion forced an image into Xio's head. It was Tem, looking out a viewport, shaking his head. "She wouldn't be dead if it weren't for me. Do you know what it's like to love, and then to lose it? Nex was trouble, you know? I tried to help her, but I guess I went about it the wrong way. Now she's dead. But I didn't feel it…" The vision ended and Xio started crying. She fell against Vion, who caught her but tensed considerably. He felt her pat her reassuringly, but she couldn't stop the tears. "Thank you…" Recomposing herself, Vion smiled at her, then simply vanished.

Myta kicked around the edges of town; just a rock throw from the fragrant flowers and the sweet smells of the freshly baked goods from the bakery. Looking out into the wilderness made her shiver, though. The cave loomed out there somewhere, and that wicked droid had made her a bait for, not only to lure Tem out but also to lure the Aruk'shna from its sleep, as well. The thought made her think of Tem more than the danger she had been in. It seemed she was to blame for everything that went wrong in his life, yet, he still was there, and he still came after her, protected her, and took care of her. She still loved him and wanted to be with him, even if it seemed he had turned to this life of evil. Vion reassured them that it was not Tem, but Taru, so she felt better about that. "Hey stranger. Whatcha staring at?" Eder said, sliding his arms around her waist. "The wilderness." She replied distantly, leaning back against him. "You'll never guess what I saw today." He said, raising his eyebrows. She tried to look up at him, but couldn't. "What was it?" He took her hand and started to pull her along. "Come on, I want you to see it." He said cheerfully. "Eder." Myta whined, letting herself get pulled along. "Why can't you just tell me?" They took the familiar streets to the landing berths, and Myta began to be suspicious. "Because I wanted you to see her for yourself." He said, grinning. They stopped in front of a beautiful Mon Calamari Etizan starfighter. "She can dock on _Return_ _To Sender_, and you can live on my ship with me." He said with a small smile. Myta looked between him and the ship. Forcing a smile, she embraced Eder. "Thank you very much. She's gorgeous." She said, leaning her head against his chest. The sun began to set as they stood admiring her new ship. They would be returning to the map room at the townhouse soon.

Mande looked out across all of Luath, over the city, through the wilderness, from each living thing's perspective. The soft breeze blew through her fur and she breathed a sigh. She had never felt more at home. It made her yearn for the freedom to be able to live here, as one of the other beings, and enjoy this for the rest of her years. Vion's presence drew closer and she opened her eyes. "There's no surprising you, is there, Master Awtuc." Vion piped cheerfully, rather uncharacteristically. "Not with a presence such as yours. You have the taint of Tem, and it draws my attention immediately." Mande replied blandly. "You are a very wound tight, even for a Jedi." He pointed out, his good mood not deterring. Mande suddenly realized he was out of his black robes, and into civilian clothing. This change in attire showed Vion's muscular form much more clearly and Mande caught herself gawking slightly. "I dwell on what happened to Tem, and the burden he was carrying going to fight Cuun." She explained, turning away to look back over the city. Vion seemed to contemplate this. "He told me once, that the moment you doubt who your friends are, is the moment that something terrible happens. I think he was trying to be funny. I'm not sure, but it seems to have some comical value now, as opposed to when he was standing over me with a baton dripping with my blood." He said sounding as if he were still in thought. "Has Taru ever fought?" Mande asked, turning to face Vion again. "No, he would only punish me." He replied, leaning closer to the Frozian to show off his burns, bruises and the small scar by his eye. "Oh, I see…" Her voice trailed off. They were very close together now, their lips only a few inches apart. "Vion!" Illist's voice cried out suddenly, as the Twi'lek ran over, waving and calling to the Falleen cheerfully. Vion moved away from Mande slowly and greeted the Twi'lek with a friendly embrace. "Tupag would like us back at the townhouse now." She informed them. "He has dinner prepared."

Auwna and Ruwn had never left the townhouse, remaining in the map room for the whole afternoon. When dinner was finished, they joined the group again at a very large table, meant for Canta. Ruwn sat next to Valia, with Auwna on his other side. Tupag was on the end, while Myta, Eder, Illist and Vion took up the other sides, opposing theirs. Mande sat at the other end, with Xio sitting opposite of Eder. A hundred conversations played out while people ate and discussed strategy, or had simple conversation about the food. "Hey, Ruwn, pal, pass me that basket of weird prickly fruity-thingies you got in front of you." Eder called out to Ruwn over the conversations, but didn't seem to be heard. "Hey!" He called again, with no luck. "Ruwn! C'mon! I want my weird prickly fruity-thingies!" He grumbled loudly. Slamming his fists down on the table, causing it to shake slightly, everyone turned to face him. "Ruwn, pass me that basket with the prickly fruity-thingies." Eder tried again. "Oh, okay. Why didn't you just ask?" Ruwn said, as he passed the basket down the table. "I've been trying." Eder complained. "I was starting to think I would have to make an emergency distress broadcast just to get your attention." Auwna jumped from her chair. "Eder, you're a genius!"

They were back in the map room; their dinner now interrupted by Auwna's plan. "We can send out an emergency distress broadcast. If we make our plea, we might just get that extra help that we need. Because a squadron of starfighters and a warrior caste isn't going to stop Taru, or… Tem… in the end." She said shakily. Mande nodded her head. "We can reach almost all systems with a holonet hookup." Xio continued for the Frozian, "And reach almost all the armies spread out across the galaxies." Tupag looked to Valia, who nodded her head. "I'll get right to work on uplinking the holonet for an emergency distress broadcast." Illist cleared her throat. "I suggest we make our priority signals to other systems before launch the broadcast. That way we know, at least, we reached someone on the outside, before we cut off all communications. Once the emergency distress broadcast goes, we will no longer be in the link. Not to mention, our systems won't be able to hold up long." Myta nodded. "Can't even hail a planet once they go EDS. Like a lock-down or something. I'll hail the Outriders, see what they can do, and if any are close enough to bring some armaments for Luath's defenses." Ruwn shifted slightly. "I could see if the Bothans would be willing to help again." Everyone turned to face Vion, his eerie silence seemed to be a foul thing, as their plans would all balance on his knowledge of the time he spent with Taru. He returned their stares with an even glance at them all. Slowly, a smile crept on his lips. "Let's give them Hell."

Defor tumbled out of the way of the whip-like tentacles that came at him from a million different directions. These new droids Tem had designed were ferocious, and enduring a considerable amount of damage that the HWSDs could deal. When a tentacle snapped off and they thought they had achieved some kind of victory, a haze of blaster bolts tore through a fellows plating and burned his core systems beyond recognition. Heaving himself up, Defor looked around. They were gone. These droids were worse than assassin droids, Defor formulated to himself, switching sensor scopes to try and unmask the hidden droids. Looking up, he found what he was looking for, as it crashed down on his body. All systems shut down, and Defor's photoreceptors dulled down until, they too, were off.

The center of town was filled with hundreds of beings, both Canta, and the settlers that had come to these lands, but weren't of the Canta nature. Tupag stood on a statue of Tem, as he stood triumphantly over defeated Litch, a murderous clan of Canta that was desperately fond of war. It was rather ironic that now, that fighters would be needed, vicious beings, who would die without a second thought no longer existed. Shaking the thought from his head, Tupag addressed the people gathered. "Come together! Everyone, please! Listen to me! Luath is being threatened! We must take to arms and defend our homes." He shouted over the voices. "All able to fight, we, no, I beg you to help Luath. This is my home, as much as Canaltha was my home, but there was nothing I could do to help Canaltha. Now, I have a choice, and I will fight to defend it. I do not ask that any of you should stand up and help fight, but I ask that you aide us in anyway possible. A long battle awaits us, and we need all the help we can get."

"Taru Tyenn will be attacking the planet of Luath." Mande almost snarled. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" The Jedi Council regarded her nonchalantly. "It does not, Mande. It is too remote a system, and if Taru is as powerful as he has managed to prove himself, we will not waste any resources on attacking him until he is closer to the Core." Mande shook her head. "You went as far as Heleska Eight to try to stop Cuun, why do you stop short with Luath?" The Council was silent, then they spoke again. "Because we needed to test Tem Marr." Her eyes widened. "You cannot be serious, Masters. All of that trouble to test a Padawan, and who is now considered dead, was nothing but a test to you? The lives lost there meant nothing to you? Two Jedi died by Cuun's hands, because you were testing Tem." With that, she ended the transmission.

"Luath is our last chance at rebuilding our mercenary activities. The only hub left that we are welcomed in, due to my friendship to Admiral Marr." Auwna was explaining to the Grand Council, hoping that they would send what forces they had on Coruscant to Luath. "You have proven, time and again, that you are our finest, High Commander Wenz, however. We are unsure if we would be able to send our forces to Luath. This may be a distraction in an attempt to destroy us on Coruscant. I'm sorry, High Commander. Leave the system, and return to Coruscant. That is an order." Auwna ground her teeth together. "Tem was told to obey orders on Vita, during the battle of Ejak. His instincts, and his quick thinking, saved a lot of lives. He disobeyed orders, and he was in position to be a Grand Admiral on your council. I will die on Luath, just to know that I at least fought for what Tem would call 'right'." She shut off her comm and kicked the console furiously. Things were not going well.

Myta sat cheerfully at the holonet console, listening to the banter at the Outriders headquarters on some backwater planet that seemed to change name every few weeks. "Yeah, we've got a loaded cruiser waiting only a micro-jump away. We'll send her your way, and we'll get ready for some heavy combat. Nothing like a good fight to prove we're the fraggin' best damned bounty hunters this side of the galaxy." Myta grinned childishly. "Great. We'll be waiting." Spirits high, Myta shut off the comm and bounded off to tell the others of the good news, thinking they would have whole armadas coming to their rescue.

"We got nothing on our end." Auwna said dejectedly. "Nor were we able to raise any aide." Mande glumly added. Myta grimaced and shifted. "Well, the Outriders are sending us a supply-boat. Completely loaded, I think it was one of the movers. New pilots, can't figure out our complicated unable-to-trace hyperspace routes that well. Get lost easy." She replied, showing her good mood, but not being overly enthusiastic about it. "I'm a High Commander and can't even get a small attack force, and you're a back-water bounty hunter, and you get a fraggin' space cruiser filled with lovely toys for us to use." Auwna shook her head in disbelief. "This galaxy's priorities are messed up, I'm telling you." Eder pointed out. "At least it's better than nothing, and it's something." Ruwn said, pleased with himself for contributing. Vion strolled in, Illist trailing behind him slightly. He still wore his dark robes, which licked at his heels, the dim lights reflecting off the dangerous looking shoulder blades. Tupag stepped up next to him, smiling broadly. "We have our ground forces." Vion smiled triumphantly, with an optimistic Illist hugging his arm. "General Cellev would like to show you his new forces at once."

Five hundred of Luath's people stood there, Vion standing at their front, staring into them. Though they had never fought before, and Vion could sense their fear, he could also sense their determination, the leaders that would arise and take command in the heat of battle. Vion even presumed he could see the battle in his mind, claiming to have been able to catch a glimpse of it from visions he picked from Tem. "Impressive." Mande said, blandly. "I would certainly hope so. It is difficult to intimidate droids." He replied with a bit of a forked tongue. "However, blaster wielding locals are not enough, and a leader of droid armies turned to the opposing side will not be intimidating enough. Jedi Master Awtuc, will you add your blade to mine, so we can fight side by side until death separates us from this plane?" Mande was caught off guard by this, and her fur tinged red slightly as she blushed. She cast a glance at Xio, who nodded her head in response, and she swallowed. "I accept, General Cellev. My lightsaber is yours in combat, and will only lose its might, should death ensnare me." She bowed her head and felt Vion's approving stares. Illist was oddly quiet and seemed to be cast in stone, which gave Mande some satisfaction. Tupag crossed his arms over his chest smiling. "General Cellev, you have troops to train. Just ask if there is anything you ne-…" He was interrupted by a noisy land speeder as it raced up to them. Valia stepped out. "Father! We have a ship inbound for our spaceport. Claims to be a favor that will cost more than what a Hutt has in its vault…?" She said, slightly confused. Myta and Eder smirked. "That's our frigate."

"Eder! You son of a Bantha! How you doing?" An overweight Bith shouted joyously, shoving Eder playfully. "Couldn't be better, Des. What have you got for us?" Eder said, trying to peer around Des to no avail. He shrugged lightly, causing his entire body to shiver slightly. "Anti-air, heavy turrets, hundreds of thousands of blasters and energy cells. About fifty battle-ready beings, and five starfighters, in okay shape." Eder cocked an eyebrow. " 'Okay shape'?" Des laughed. "They'll fly, and fight, but they could use some work. A might unpredictable, you see." Eder scowled slightly. "A 'might unpredictable', Des?" The Bith grinned stupidly. "They're hurting, just some quick repairs and they'll be ready." Des shoved a tool belt into the Firrereon's chest. "They're all yours, pal."

"We will go ahead, GU-T0. We must find the traitor, which we will graciously allow your battalion to handle." Taru spoke to the new Jek droids. They were named Jeks for their ability to slay Jedi more efficiently than any other droid available, at a third of the cost of BD-C0R's price tag. Jedi Killers, Jeks. Nothing would be able to stop them, at this rate. Taru could grab for the universe and nothing could stop him. Not a single soul in this galaxy had that power.

Xio tied her hair back, so she could focus on welding the anti-air turret into place. Fumes stung her nostrils as the metal boiled. "Do you think they'll be able to withstand Taru and Tem, even with these measures?" Xio asked, holding blast goggles to her eyes, causing a shower of sparks to jump up from the turret. "I will be on the front lines with Vion. The city will have a contingent of troops ready, should the outer walls be breached. There will be a small space force patrolling the atmosphere…" Mande trailed off, hefting up container full of weapon armaments into a landspeeder. "…And?" Xio pressed, stopping to stare at her. "We do not stand a chance. It would take a miracle." She said dejectedly, looking into the landspeeder distantly. Xio fell silent and put her tools away. "Xio, had your master ever told you about the cult incident on Korriban?" Mande's sudden pick up in speech caught Xio off guard, the topic of conversation set Xio even farther back. "I, um, no, I'm not sure. It took quite a Force technique, though, to end it. According to the rumors…" Mande took this into consideration, then climbed into the landspeeder, not so much as making a sound.

"All preparations have been made, governor." A Canalthian soldier reported one of the new militia that had been formed. "Good." Tupag said, looking down at his wrist. Canaltha still burned through his thoughts and plagued him, and his missing hand, now replaced with a boshwau woven replacement, which twitched from muscle movements in his arms, was a constant reminder. "Do you know Tem of clan Marr, at all, soldier?" He asked, distantly. "I have only heard stories, governor. I believe I witnessed him fight the Aurk in the raid they made on Canaltha as a younger man." He said, shifting slightly, continuing. "It made me jealous. He was much younger and smaller than I was; he had already mastered a great deal more of the Canalthian culture, as well. I was not even allowed to fight, governor. I watched the raid from indoors, envious of this outsiders success. But many skilled Canalthians died that day by the ferocious Aurk, but Tem of clan Marr, had lived, and even held strong against his injuries." Tupag smiled to himself. He, too, witnessed Tem during the Aurk raid on the village. "I'm sorry, governor, I am rambling. My forgiveness." Tupag turned to the soldier, who saluted and turned to leave. "You don't need my forgiveness, soldier." He said, though he doubted that the troop heard any more. "Tem of clan Marr, needs our forgiveness."

Vion stood, glaring at the sky one evening. His mind was as calm as the lake nearby, and the rocks danced around him. Sand rushed up around him, his lightsabers flying away and falling in the sand, covered by the Force caused storm. The rocks froze, as if afraid to move in fear of punishment for Vion losing his lightsabers. It was quiet, not even a bird sang. Vion's robes rustled softly, his glare falling from the sky to the rocks around him. As if provoked by his eyes befalling them, the rocks rushed in at him. With graceful movement, Vion easily vaulted over one rock, landed safely on another, ducked under two more, until finally he fell flat to avoid the last. A snort caused the sand to clear from beneath him, the faint light reflecting off the metallic hilts of the lightsabers. His mind was more dangerous, though, more wild. Taru had taught him how to lose his thought, so he could train alone and still have the unpredictability of real combat. Rolling away, a rock slammed right where his head had been. Two more followed suit, chasing after Vion's movements across the beach. One lightsaber flew loose from its dune prison and smacked into Vion's palm. The other soon followed, and Vion slammed the two hilts together, twisting it so the locking mechanism connected. His dual-bladed lightsaber snap-hissed to life and he was a blur of spinning red energy, as rocks met their demise against his merciless attack. Panting, as the last bits of rubble rained down on him, he deactivated his lightsabers and unlocked them, slipping them on his belt. Applause started, from one person, standing at the beaches very edge. "Pretty impressive, Vion." Auwna said, walking forward, her boots crunching on the sand. "You've seen better from Tem." Vion retorted. Auwna shrugged her shoulders, slumping as if the weight she carried was unbearable. "Never saw Tem fight with a lightsaber, but he was one Hell of a soldier." She said, almost distantly. "Why didn't you come back to Anteid?" The Falleen asked. "What point was there in coming back?" She pointed out. "To save the survivors." Vion argued. "What other survivors? There's been no other report of survivors other than you. Did you see anymore Valcun's alive there?" Auwna shot back. Vion opened his mouth, ready to snarl back a nasty retort, but the sudden thought came to him, that, outside of all the droids, Taru and Tem, and himself, he had not seen another living thing within a hundred klicks of the Facility. He dejectedly sat on a rock. "He… tricked me…" He murmured. "What?" Auwna said, coming closer to him. "Taru… he fooled me into believing that you, the Valcuns, didn't care…" He shook his head and withdrew a thread from his robes. "It was the first thing I argued to the Grand Council when I got to Coruscant. I wanted immediate action to Anteid, and they sent us all to Bothuwai. We had to watch Duro fall." Auwna said calmly. The fires on Duro burned in front of Vion's eyes. He had caused it all, all because Taru had manipulated him into believing something. He had killed comrades in cold blood, and gave no honor to their bodies. They still probably remained rotting in the Facility's halls as they spoke. Tying his hair back into the traditional topknot, Vion stood up. "Auwna, I am deeply sorry about what happened on Duro and Bothuwai. I wish to make it up to you, somehow, someday. The time will come where your life must be sacrificed, but I will be there, and I shall make that sacrifice for you. I promise you."

"Inbound ships, coming on the screen, sir." Ruwn watched the screen change to show an armada of cruisers roar towards Luath. Auwna came up beside him. "It's _Reason_." He told her, solemnly. "I know." She replied, sounding just as solemn. "What do you think happens now?" He turned to face her. She looked at him sadly, and shrugged her shoulders. "We fight." Des looked up from a console and regarded the two. "And pray."

They all were together, once again. Another meeting of, what the locals had jokingly referred to them as, the War Council. Vion stood in full body armor, his cloak loosely fit over it. Tupag, even, wore battle armor; he was going to the front lines with Vion. Xio, Mande, Ruwn, Auwna and Valia wore their respective military attire. Illist wore her usual clothing, boasting a blaster pistol at her hip. "Prepare for EDS lock down." Auwna ordered into a wristband comlink. She looked up at the Canta and nodded her head. "At your signal, governor." Tupag nodded his head wearily. "Valia, go to the space station, immediately. We want our surprise to be kept a surprise." Valia nodded and turned to leave, but stopped. "Goodbye, and good luck, father. Should I die in space, I wanted you to know I love you." Tupag smiled fondly. "Good luck to you, as well." Vion shivered slightly, and a few gazes fell on him. He shrugged his shoulders back and looked unaffected by what was going on. The two Jedi could tell otherwise, though, and they smiled to each other. "Vion, start amassing the troops for the march into the plains. I will join you shortly." Vion nodded his head and stalked out. "Master Awtuc, you may join General Vion, if you please." Mande bowed and followed Vion out. Illist watched after them, then turned her gaze back to Tupag. "Commander Kuad, High Commander Wenz, you will watch over the city and be tactical supervisors. Master Mara, you will be given a contingent of troops for your aide, if the city should be attacked." The three nodded their heads, and then all eyes fell on Illist. "Illist, my dearest friend. You have the heaviest of burdens. To protect the city and its citizens. Should I die in battle, I leave the city in your utter command. You are the new governor of Luath."

Across the galaxy, single screens, registered with the sole purpose to pick up, play and retransmit emergency distress signals, flickered to life. Some were well maintained, cleaned, oiled, and looking as good as the day they were installed. Others were dust covered, insect housings, which still sparked to life to meet it dutiful little need. Anteid's Facility was no exception. "All ships, all planets, anything, please hear our call." Auwna's face flickered onto the screen, crackling slightly as the console failed to operate properly. "Luath, a planet far on the edge of space, is under attack. The being behind this attack is Taru Tyenn. A Dark Lord of the Sith from the Old Sith Empire. We are defenseless, and even with what force we can muster, we do not stand much of a chance. On Duro, and Bothuwai, heavily armed planets," The images flickered to the ruins of the Facility's on Bothuwai and Duro, of the bodies that still lay strewn across each respective surface. "Taru has proven his might, and malice. We beg you, anyone, with star cruisers battle ready, to please make way for Luath. This is our most desperate plea for aide. Please, we have no hope."

A shuttle roared down to Luath's surface, landing in the city. Taru had sent it ahead, on a special task, to retrieve Auwna Wenz, Ruwn Kuad, and Xio Mara. All of whom were to meet on _Reason For Doubt_. They had expected something far deadlier, but only two HWSDs marched forth from the shuttle. "Auwna Wenz, Ruwn Kuad and Xio Mara, please come with us. Our masters wish to try to reach an understanding with you. Perhaps even evade unnecessary bloodshed." The droid called out. Auwna and Ruwn stepped forward, waving off the aimed weapons that were held strongly, through fear, by the troops. They weren't fighters; they were normal beings like everybody else. It was a painful thought Xio had as she joined Auwna and Ruwn aboard the shuttle. The HWSDs climbed back aboard and the shuttle lifted off. The ride was silent, but no one expected it to be very cheery. _Reason For Doubt_, in her new blue paint, seemed almost a beacon of death, more than a stunning Republic Cruiser. The shuttle landed with a small thud, and they were ushered to private chambers aboard the ships, each separated into individual rooms. Xio had a bad feeling about this.

"You may start you ground assault, GU-T0." Taru Tyenn ordered, sitting in a devilish looking commander's chair. He had torn the chairs metal back to form the grotesque shape to help intimidate beings of his power. "Yes, sir." GU-T0 replied, and hundreds of ships began to race down towards Luath's ship. "We are achieving our goal, Tem. Do you realize this? The dark secret the Valcun's hide, it will no longer shroud everyone's judgment, and we will have control over the galaxy. Just this one planet remains in our way." Tem looked away from the viewport to look at Taru. "What if they decide to fight back?"

The march through the dense jungles of Luath was long and painful. The troops, varying in size, color, shape and heritage, remained diligent, ready to die for their planet. Vion couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Many of them had families, which they would never see again. "Hold here. The plains is just ahead." Tupag turned to face Vion as he spoke, the Falleen peering out into the plains washed in sunlight. "I want to take the Luath Guardsmen forward. They are the most trained in combat, and will prove valuable in thinning the ranks of the droids quickly." Vion said, turning to look up at the Canta. "We will lay covering fire where we are able, then, remaining in the cover of the jungle." Vion nodded. "You have my wishes of luck bestowed upon you, General. I must ask one thing, though. These are your troops, give them satisfaction, in the battle that will surely take many of their lives." Tupag said solemnly. Vion stared at the Canta, unflinching, in silence. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "Tem would be proud." Tupag said with a smile, and patted him on the shoulder. Vion turned and faced the fighters of Luath, looking at the worn and weary faces, his own heart sinking through it all. He felt Taru's presence on him, and the burn of his lightsaber across his back. Eyes wide with fear, Vion suddenly knew what he must do. Clenching his teeth, and taking on his usual frown, he stalked in front of the troops and raised his voice. "Fighters of Luath! We are about to engage the enemy and, I will not lie, may very well lose to. Know this; Luath is your home, your families, your friends, everyone you care about is either fighting here, or will be in the city." Vion stared out across the troops, who didn't so much as utter a single sound. "If we die today, here, fighting this enemy, know that you died… protecting those whom you care about in the city. We all come from different places, we may not understand one another, but we have all come together. We are all here to fight a common enemy. Let us show these droids what happens when we cast aside our differences and band together! Fight with me until the end!" Vion shouted, raising his fist in the air, as if he had already won the battle. "To the end!" Roared back at him and cheers and hollers echoed through the jungle. Mande came up beside him and bowed deeply. "Very good, General." She said. Vion stared at her, still frowning typically. _What I seek to protect is not in the city_… Vion thought to himself, then turned back to the plains.

The ships weren't so much ships, as opposed to just being dropship pods. They carried numerous droids and plummeted into the surface of a planet, discarding all the droids quickly and efficiently. They never gave them the chance to let it happen. Laser fire tore through the sky, attacking the pods, making some successful hits, while they rained down on Luath. The ships in orbit fell into the Ophilian Tactic position, securing Luath in a permanent blockade. The orbiting station remained untouched and unclaimed, as Valia's fighters prepared for liftoff.

The Luath Guardsmen marched boldly out into the plains, firing constantly into the droid ranks as they, themselves, marched forward. Energy bolts flew everywhere, and Mande and Vion were stuck in the middle. The two Jedi were the first to break the front lines, using their abilities to do devastating damage to the mechanical army. When the guardsmen followed, their blaster fire ceased, ever so briefly, as they began using their weapons as melee weapons. It was quite the stunning spectacle, Mande thought to herself, while shoving more droids back into each other with the Force. It was, almost, like training with Tem again… The thought kept her from noticing the droid, a large, burly thing, tendrils falling from one arm, as it marched up to her and attacked viciously. Soon, two more joined, then another one, until she had been surrounded. Tendrils whipped and constricted around her. As if materializing in the air, Vion swooped down on the droids, snapping tendrils, and halving the droids with ease. Without stopping for a second, Vion scooped up Mande, best as he could manage, that is, and leapt clear of the battle, landing just on the outskirts. "Are you all right?" He asked her. She stared down at him. "I am fine. Thank you, Vion." With a small smile, the first sincere, loving smile she had ever seen from him, formed on his lips and he vanished into thin air, reappearing again in the midst of the droids. Mande couldn't help but just watch for a moment, as the small form of Vion blew away droids, sweeping them up into the air and cleared a small radius around himself, only to move from its relative safety, back into the thicket of battle.

GU-T0 was not happy. His circuits hissed in annoyance as more tactical information was transmitted to him. The battle was actually being withheld! This didn't seem possible. "Send me the beam-droids!" He shouted, and droids went to meet his order. Soon, large pods dropped through to crash on Luath's surface, deploying numerous Beamer droids into battle. Now, they would take the planet.

Beamer droids stomped through the jungles of Luath without difficulty, crushing any being stupid enough to be caught in its shadow. Vion was slashing away, decimating the droid army millimeter by millimeter. The eclipse dragged Vion's eyes away to look up at the large droid lumber forward, easily transverse to the city. "Tupag!" Vion shouted over the roaring of battle, shouldering his way through droid and beings, not caring which was which, and escaping without a scratch, until he reached the large Canta. "Those droids are heading for the city! They must be stopped!" Vion shouted, shoving back the droids with the Force without effort. "I will alert the Special Forces." Tupag replied, then gestured to the droids regrouping for an attack. "Cover me!" Vion nodded and rushed the droids, bowling them over, and shearing their metal bodies in two. Tupag pulled out a large communicator, which wasn't affected by the EDS lock down and radioed to the Special Forces task force of Luath. They would handle the massive droids.

The Beamer droids continued their relentless march; blaster fire ricocheted off their metal plating. Trees snapped under the weight of their robotic feet, and they soon reached the city walls. Aiming their laser cannons, they prepared to fire. Energy gathered into the energy coils, until it finally reached its charging point. An explosion tore through one Beamer, causing it to fall back in ruin and fire on a second Beamer. The two Beamer droids smoking remains crashed into the ground and the remaining Beamer droids faced their new threat. Aruk'shnas mounted with turbo cannons raced forward and fired on the Beamers, starting a new battle, just outside the city walls.

_Auwna… Wake up… Auwna… Help!_ Auwna jerked awake from her dreamless sleep. She slowly realized where she was again, and her dark mood had just gotten darker. That voice, though… That had been Tem's… Myta had seen Tem with Taru… Could Tem be on this ship? Could he be in trouble? She had to go and find out. Getting to her feet, she crept to the door and opened it. No droids waited for her on the other side, nor down either side of the corridor. Carefully, she inched her way out of her room and made her way into the ship. She was trusting her feelings to guide her, Tem was as much a part of her as anyone else, if not more. She could find him if he was a grain of sand on Tatooine.

Auwna was not the only one to here the cry for help. Down on Luath, Vion picked it up, as well. Taru was implementing his plan, and it was obvious he would kill the Zabraks and human if he did not reach _Reason_ in time. Using a special Force technique, not known to many Jedi, or Sith, he simply vanished and materialized behind Mande. They fought back to back for a moment, while Vion tried to talk to her. "Mande! I must go! I have to get to my ship! It's not far from here!" Mande nodded. "I will escort you there!" Vion finished off the droid he was dealing with then blew a path through the droids with a toss of his lightsaber. "Go!" They ran together down the clearing, deflecting blaster bolts and tossing off droids who came too close. The ship came up in sight, and they almost reached it, until GU-T0 stepped out from his hiding place. "Vion." It growled threateningly. "GU-T0." Vion said, evenly. "You turned on us." It accused him. Vion sneered. "I do what I must. You're a droid, you wouldn't understand." GU-T0 laughed. "You are right, so I will just kill you now." It roared and charged, withdrawing a nistand from some hidden location on its body. A nistand was a club that was ionized against lightsaber blows, as well as the key to short circuiting many droids. How GU-T0 managed to wield it without shorting himself was beyond Vion, but he knew he had to do something. Meeting the challenge, Vion narrowly avoided GU-T0's attack. The tendril caught him off guard and wrapped around his ankle. It surged electricity through his body, until Mande jumped in and severed it, going to severe GU-T0's head, had it not calculated the move and blocked it with the nistand. The energy cannon arm changed slightly and a narrow beam of energy created a likeness to the lightsaber, slashing out at Mande, who back peddled away from the droid. Vion got up and tried to rush it from behind, but met the nistand from a sweeping downward cutting motion. The droids arm moved to remove Mande of her arm, but Vion stepped up onto the nistand, causing electricity to burn through his boots and into his body, as he severed GU-T0's arm. The nistand shifted and Vion fell in spasms on the ground. The Frozian did a roundhouse kick and knocked the droid back, then drove her lightsaber through the droids body. It fell limp along her blade, gravity causing it to severe itself in half as it fell. "Go, Vion. Nothing's stopping you now." Mande said, looking over her shoulder to the battle beyond. Vion stood there for a minute, a soft wind blowing. He leaned down and took off his heavy armored boots, letting the grasses tickle the soles of his feet. He stood for what seemed like an eternity, letting the wind caress his body, the cloak billowing around his body armor. He opened his eyes and looked at the Frozian before him. Nodding his head, he slipped his combat boots back on and started to climb in his ship. "We will always have Luath." The cockpit sealed, as Mande's eyes widened and the ship lifted off.

Auwna had made her way to what looked like a staging area. The room was dark, save for the single lighting unit activated above the doorway inside, where she stood. It was quiet, but the walls seemed to whisper around her. She couldn't make sense of what they were saying, then another lighting unit activated. This one activated over Taru Tyenn, Ruwn in his firm grip. Tem crouched close to his master, trying not to look at the Zabrak. "Auwna Wenz, I'm surprised. You're not carrying a firearm." Ruwn's blaster slipped out of its holster and leveled itself against his head, as Taru's manipulation of the Force ordered it. The trigger tightened tighter. "You were always a bit head strong. Let us find out just how head strong our good friend Ruwn is." Taru said, his tone so poisonous, one could swear an acidic scent had filled the air. The trigger tightened further, another ten seconds, and the trigger would release the burning blaster bolt through Ruwn's head. He took it with quiet dignity, though, pleading with Auwna through his eyes, rather than his words. Pleading for forgiveness, as he would die before he hit the ground. "Taru, don't." Tem's voice was hoarse and shaky. "What did you say?" Taru growled. "I said, don't." The blaster flew away, landing in front of Auwna. Her eyes widened more so than they had been upon seeing Taru. Taru roared and tossed Ruwn at Auwna, and snarled in Tem's face. "They know now! They must die!" A rush of Force energy pushed Tem back against the bulkhead. Taru stalked forward, igniting the blood red lightsaber. The two stood frozen in fear. Auwna's eyes had turned pleading now, and she mouthed 'Don't do it, Tem'. Through blurred vision, Tem watched as Taru raised his lightsaber to deliver the final blow.

The blade came down with tremendous force, burning atmosphere until finally slamming against Vion's dual lightsabers, set in an X with Taru's caught in the middle. He stood boldly in front of Auwna and Ruwn, grinning darkly as shadows played over his face. "Did you miss my absence, master?" Vion asked. Taru snarled and pulled his lightsaber free. Vion rushed the Sith and knocked him back with a body blow. "Run! Get away from here!" He shouted at the two Iridonians, as he pulled Taru away into the darkness, where only two little gleams of red energy burned.

Auwna picked up the blaster on the floor, and grabbed Ruwn's arm. "Let's go!" She shouted and dragged him out the doorway she had come. "Ow! I'm coming!" Ruwn complained. A droid patrol rounded a corner and spotted them, opening fire. Auwna returned fire before running back down the corridor they had just come. "The whole ships droid contingent is going to be after us!" They ducked into a room and Ruwn spotted a terminal. "I might be able to change that." He said, quickly jogging to the terminal and punching up data. "Please, hurry, sweetheart." Auwna stressfully muttered and fired down the corridor at the marching droids. "I'm going as fast as I can, honey." Ruwn grumbled back, his fingers clicking as he punched keys. A blaster bolt exploded just above the terminal, as Ruwn deactivated the rest of the droids that were inactive on the ship. "Time to go!" Auwna shouted, running past him and ensnaring his arm again. He let himself be dragged along as droids marched after them. They ran together, blaster bolts following them, until they reached the hangar. "Our ship!" Ruwn shouted, and Auwna stopped to see for herself. Their ship that they had bought after Tem had gone to train to be a Jedi was there. The ship that had been left on Anteid when Taru invaded. It was here and in top condition. The perfect escape vehicle. "Go and get her airborne! I'll hold these droids off for a little longer!" Auwna shoved Ruwn aside and opened fire on the droids. Ruwn ran off to the ship. Finally gaining a pause, and seeing the landing ramp down and waiting for her, Auwna turned to make a run for it. Five Heavy War Sentry Droids stood in her way, weapons whirring in anticipation. Auwna brought her aim over them, but one in gold and maroon casing stepped forward, firing its heavy repeaters past Auwna into oncoming droids. "Auwna Wenz! Get to your ship! Master Marr has requested you depart the ship immediately!" The droid said, stalking past her, followed by the others as they slaughtered the droids pouring in after them. "But…" It stopped and stalked back to her, its photoreceptors looking up at her with a faint little glow. "I am D4-T9I, or Defor, loyal servant to Jedi Master Tem Marr. He has requested I see to your safe departure from this ship. Now go! We cannot hold them forever!" Defor shouted and turned back to his task. "If you know what is best to ending this conflict, you will fire." Defor shouted after her, as Auwna started to bolt for the ship. As soon as she was aboard, she turned on the in-ship communicator and spoke. "Ruwn, as soon as we clear the bay doors, fire the missiles. Then let's get out of here. Make a jump to Sullust."

The ship lurched and roared as it flew out of the hangar, clearing the magnetic field, it turned slowly and fired all missiles she carried. They roared through the hangar, and Defor's sensors picked them up immediately. His repeaters fell silent and he switched over to beam cannons. "Fire on the incoming missiles!" He ordered to the others. Taking aim, and waiting for his shot, Defor processed one last thought. "I have fulfilled my duties, Master Marr…" The missile he had targeted came into range, and he fired his beam cannon. The green energy burning the shell and causing it to detonate.

Before their ship had jumped into hyperspace, Auwna saw the explosion blossom all throughout the hangar of _Reason For Doubt_, and it made Auwna kind of sad. She had realized that Tem had entrusted a droid, a friend, to her safety. The droid had asked her to fire the missiles, and the dark realization came. She had just destroyed, not only a large portion of Tem's ship, but a friend, even if it was but a droid, which could never be replaced now. She watched as the ship turned into a small pinprick, then a starline, as the ship entered hyperspace.

Vion held Taru fast, the two beings struggling for dominance over the other, to deliver the killing blow. Taru used the Force to separate them, slamming him into a bulkhead while Taru glided slowly and rested firmly on his feet. "We fight then." Taru said, calling his lightsaber to him. Vion unclipped his, lock them together, and activated both blades. "Blade to blade." Taru's face darkened as he took a ready stance. "Till death." It was like venom coming from Taru, but Vion would not allow himself to be affected. Spinning his double-edged lightsaber, Vion reached deep into the Force for aide into the battle. The first step forward seemed like a slow one, but before he realized it, Vion had already cleared the distance to Taru, who blocked and parried his wild, unfocused attacks. He wasn't thinking straight, something was wrong. "Tem! If you can help me, do so! I could use your help!" Vion called into the darkness, hoping Tem would pull through in the end. Taru was lightning fast and as limber as Kowakian Monkey Lizard. A sweep at Taru's legs was dodged with a small jump, his feet, seeming much smaller than they were, landing on his lightsaber hilt, then coming up to greet his chin, sending Vion back. Vion slowly gained focus and was able to track Taru's movements, as they became more and more familiar. This fighting style was like nothing Vion had seen before, and nothing Tem had taught to fight against. He was making up a defensive technique as he fought which ended up in several bruises forming and bones being damaged. Burns soon added to the formula, as Vion was unable to defend himself. Taru made a feint upper sweep, then used all the force he could muster to bring the lightsaber back down on Vion. The Falleen blocked, using the hilt of his double-edged lightsaber, which met only minor resistance against Taru's blade. The two lightsaber separated before the Sith's lightsaber could damage the lightsabers themselves, but the locking mechanism that held them together was no longer functioning. His battle armor sparked as the lightsaber tore through it, and a burn sizzled on his flesh. Vion tried to utilize the moment and attack Taru, but a backward flip, followed by a parry, which locked all three lightsabers in place, managed to leave him unscathed. The two grunted and strained with the lightsabers, sweat glistening on their faces. Then, the Force provided insight to Vion. Forcing Taru's lightsaber up, he managed to clear a path to his face. Tem had taught him once that, to fight, honor is important, but when your opponent was so utterly dishonorable and a dirty fighter, it was only fair to play with the same rules. Using the Force to add strength, Vion head butted Taru, the sound of the Sith's nose breaking and the splatter of hot blood against Vion's flesh. Taru's body soared through the air, his lightsaber falling into darkness, spinning slowly, until finally, he crashed on the ground with a loud bang. Twirling both lightsabers once around, Vion moved in for the kill.

Taru lay on the ground just a few feet away from Tem, his lightsaber lay dormant at Tem's feet. He looked at the sleek silver hilt, noticing a grin form on Taru's lips, despite the act of pain he was putting on for Vion. The lightsaber shivered slightly, Vion wasn't far now. Only a few more steps, he would be right in perfect spot for a forward jab to the heart, which would end the Falleen's life. Tem could stop it, though. He had to simply call Taru's lightsaber to his hand and Taru would be defenseless. The plan was a sound one, and Tem waited until Vion was close enough, so Taru would be caught off guard. Vion was only a step away now… Taru's lightsaber slapped against his palm, as he saw his lightsaber soar into Taru's. The emerald blade ignited and locked the two blood-red lightsabers in place. Taru kicked the Falleen in the stomach and got to his feet. The two stood still for a moment, before entering combat once more. The emerald blade reminded Tem of so much, and then the bitterness of his current situation settled in. Sparks flew as another powerful hit was parried, when another blow was made, but failed to connect. Throughout it all, Taru had never removed his robes. They were obviously restricting his movements, but he wasn't removing them. It was strange, but Vion still had trouble keeping his own against the Sith. Ducking from a swipe, the emerald blade sizzled through bulkhead. Not properly set up for a counter strike, Vion simply launched himself off the bulkhead and into Taru. They both fell hard, but it was Taru who had gotten his footing back first. Vion froze, Taru's lightsaber aimed right between his eyes. "You have only brought this upon yourself, Falleen. This is what happens when your species shows emotion." Without so much as a breath after his words, Taru decapitated Vion. Only one stood between ultimate victory, and devastating defeat. One Jedi, Xio, remained in a coma-like sleep, caused by a Force blanket Taru was using to keep his prisoner in check. But she would come soon enough; it was only a matter of proper timing.

Ruwn pulled back on the hyperspace lever, Sullust filling the viewport. A cruiser, heading in the direction they had just come nearly crashed into them. A communication came through, and a familiar face greeted them. "High Commander Wenz?" The Admiral said. "Captain Dorje." Auwna replied, looking at the admiral in disbelief. "I'm an admiral now, High Commander." He said with the hint of a smile. "Did you just happen to leave the Doshta system?" He asked, without pause. "Yes, we did… Why do you ask?" The Zabrak asked, Ruwn remaining silent as it was 'business talk', as Auwna had put it to him one evening. "We were just on our way there. There is quite the development, we heard." _Development?_ Auwna shook her head. "I'm sorry, admiral, what was that?" She asked, squinting slightly at the holo-image. "Developments, at Luath. Board our ship, and we'll show you." Auwna and Ruwn exchanged looks, which Ruwn responded to in a shrug. Auwna rolled her eyes at him and nodded her head to Dorje. "We'll be waiting for clearance, admiral." With a smile and a nod, the holo faded out.

Xio awoke suddenly, in the same cramped little room that she had been imprisoned in since her arrival aboard _Reason For Doubt_. It was a miserable, drab room with the usual cold, sterile gray metal surrounding, but it was all she had been offered. Now, a voice beckoned to her, though. In the back of her mind, she could hear something, or someone, speaking to her. _Xio… Help…_ It was like a blinking beacon in the distance that guided her path. She checked the door to her room and found it was unlocked now. Narrowing her eyes, she made her way out into the ship. It was a long walk, considering the amount of patrolling droids she had run into along the way, and she swore it must've been an hour, at the least, she had spent searching for the source of this calling. Finally, she walked into the bridge. Not the usual set up of the Republic Cruiser bridge, it had been modified to a large, open room, with a series of platforms and levels, with hundreds of blinking lights as machines went about their tasks. It was as unsettling, as it was familiar. She walked up an elevated pathway, to a flight of steps that lead to what looked like a giant viewport, looking out over Luath. Against the brilliant planet in the background, a dark robed figure, with long dark hair, ending in shocking silver tips, stood with his back to her. She recognized it to Tem, and her heart raced, taking several steps closer to the stairs. She slowed as he turned around, a dark grin on his face. "Hello Xio." His features were all hidden underneath the dark robes, but his power was evident throughout the ship. "I am Taru Tyenn." She shook her head. "No… You're Tem Marr…"


End file.
